A New Threat
by avatarfan82
Summary: Four years in the future, Korra and friends uncover information about a new threat to the peace and balance of the world. Will Korra be able to fulfill her duties as the avatar and work with the team to save the world again?
1. The Connection

**Chapter 1: The Connection**

"Korra, this is important. You must focus on my voice."

"But, I can't see you."

"Don't worry about that now. Just focus on my voice."

She sighed deeply and brought her mind in a singular direction toward the sound of the voice. Eventually, the husky, yet gentle tone was floating around in her head, as if coming from all directions.

"There you go. Now, just open your eyes."

Her eyelids slowly parted and she immediately saw a hazy form materializing before her. As she continued to blink, the image came into focus. The figure appeared to be standing in front of her, with crossed arms and a playful smirk.

"Avatar Aang!" she cried excitedly.

He came toward her and then stopped a few feet in front of her. "See, you made it here by meditating all on your own. How does it feel?" he asked.

"Weird…but, cool!" she said proudly, remaining in her cross-legged position with her hands at her knees.

Aang then sat down in front of her, mirroring her position, and smiled again.

"I'm glad you've finally opened up your link to me, Korra. After Amon took your bending away, the space between us was so dark and thick…" he trailed off.

Korra looked away from Aang's solemn gaze and frowned. "I know," she replied sadly. At the time, she hadn't really noticed when the connection broke. Now that she knew what it felt like to be bonded to her past lives, specifically to Aang, it was hard to imagine how empty she felt before.

Aang noticed her demeanor change and forced a smile. "Well, we're not here to talk about that. We're here to talk about the future. Your future, Avatar Korra."

Aang's tone became serious, so much so that she was forced to quickly look back up at him. His eyes had an intensity that she imagined was there when he defeated Fire Lord Ozai at the end of the Hundred Years War. She swallowed loudly, but matched his gaze.

"Is it bad?" she asked, timidly. If it had something to do with Mako or any of her other friends, she wasn't sure she wanted to know.

"It is, but not what you think. Your connection with him is strong. " Aang commented as he nodded his head knowingly. She blushed deeply as her hand automatically went to the betrothal necklace Mako had made and presented to her a few weeks earlier.

"Don't be embarrassed. You'll need him for the times to come, just as I needed Katara."

A far away look came briefly into Aang's eyes and she sensed a type of sadness come over him. As she tried to imagine how difficult it must have been to leave behind the woman he loved, she felt for him. But, another thought came to her mind at that moment.

"But, wait…I thought I needed to distance myself from everyone in order to reach my full potential as an avatar?" she asked, puzzled.

Aang looked down, smiling to himself.

"That's what I was told. But that's not what I'm telling you. We each have to walk our own path and make our own choices."

Korra nodded in understanding, as she stroked her necklace one last time before lowering her hand. Her choice was already made.

"Aang, you were saying something about the future…" she began.

"Yes, of course. Korra, I know that things look peaceful now. It's been four years since you managed to stop Amon and save your loved ones. But there are problems brewing. Not everyone is happy about what happened. There are those who still don't think it's fair that you can restore bending. There are those who agreed with Amon's ideals and are looking to take down benders at all costs."

Her heart began to pound as thoughts raced through her head. Why was he being so cryptic? Why couldn't he just tell her what she needed to do next? Instead of asking those questions, she said, "What should I do? Everyone's depending on me to maintain balance, but I don't even know who or what the threat is. I need answers!"

Aang smiled gently. "Korra, you're so full of passion and fire. But, you can't misdirect that intensity. I know this is hard and I'm sorry I can't tell you more, but I'd like you to find General Iroh. He will be able to help you."

Her blue eyes registered shocked surprise. "General Iroh? Why him?" He was so far removed from most of the conflict with the Equalists that she wasn't expecting to hear his name.

"Well, there's some information you need and he's your starting point. He may not even know it himself." Aang responded.

Korra looked thoughtful for a moment, then said, "Is this about Fire Lord Zuko?"

He tilted his head to the side, failing to indicate whether she was right or wrong. "It's not clear, but there's definitely something pulling toward Iroh."

Now she was deeply confused, but nodded anyway.

Aang's facial expression then turned grim as he focused his gaze steadily on her face.

"I don't mean to alarm you, but what I'm telling you is very important. The future of the people is at stake. Please meet with Iroh as soon as you can."

Korra's anxiety was spiking, but she tried her best to mask it. No matter what happened, she had to get to the general and get the information she needed.

Aang's facial expression softened as he watched several negative emotions cross her face.

"Please forgive my intensity. I'm still new at this." he said, the kindness in his voice drawing her attention back. Then, he got to his feet and continued, "I think it's time to wrap this up now."

"No, please, Aang! Just a little longer! I have so much I want to ask you!" she begged, also standing. He chuckled softly. Then, he stood before her and bowed with his fist in his palm.

"We can talk more later. Right now, you need to get back. I think they're starting to worry about you."

Korra was at a complete loss, but managed to imitate him and bow toward him in return. He smiled, winked, and finally faded from sight. Then, before she knew what was happening, she felt herself being pulled harshly downward.

Korra's eyes shot open as she came out of the spirit world. She looked around for a moment and noticed that the sky seemed darker than when she first began meditating. How long had she been there this time? As if on cue, she heard a commotion of hurried footsteps and whispering coming from behind her. She turned just in time to see Mako, Bolin, and Tenzin turning the corner near the clearing where she did her meditating.

"One of the acolytes said she's been sitting motionless for hours and I-oh, Korra! You're back!" Mako interrupted his own words and sprinted over to her. Bolin and Tenzin were in tow.

"Yeah. What's up, guys? Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked as the three men peered at her with concern.

"Well, you seem to be just fine. Mako came by after his final patrol and was told that you had been meditating for four hours. He and Bolin came to get me because he didn't want to disturb you but he wanted to make sure you were okay," Tenzin stated, matter-of-factly.

"What happened during your visit this time? I've never seen you go away for so long." Mako said, clasping her hands and helping her up to a standing position. Once she was upright, she dusted off her pants and shook her legs a bit to get the circulation going again.

"I guess I _was_ gone a long time." she said, absently. Suddenly, she remembered all of the information Aang had given her and her expression changed to concern. Mako instinctively wrapped an arm around her shoulders, as if to protect her from some unseen danger.

"Woah, woah. What's with the face? I don't like the face you're making right now." Bolin said. "Is there someone we need to take out for you? Because we can." He looked playful yet intense as he started smacking his left fist into his right palm. Mako elbowed him in the ribs to signal that it wasn't the time for jokes, and Bolin grabbed his side muttering, "Ow!"

Korra sighed and shook her head. "If only it were that simple." she replied, with downcast eyes.

Mako set his mouth in a hard line and Bolin cocked his head in confusion as Tenzin's eyes reflected a knowing look back at her.

"It seems that my father has told you something quite serious," he stated. Mako and Bolin glanced uneasily at each other as she nodded grimly.

"That's all I need to hear. It sounds like we should to have a talk, Korra. I'll allow you some time to freshen up, but meet me in my office no later than 7pm." With that, he turned on his heel and disappeared back around the corner.

"He seems way more serious than normal." Bolin commented. Korra then turned her head upward to look into Mako's gold-flecked eyes for reassurance, only to find him already gazing down at her. Neither of them spoke, but there was a great deal of communication happening between them in that moment. Wordlessly, he pulled her closely to him and wrapped both his arms tightly around her. She buried her head in his torso and clutched him firmly, needing the pressure to ease her mind somehow.

"Plus, why can't we go to the meeting, too? It's rude to not invite people when they're standing right there…" Bolin rambled. He was talking mostly to himself now, as Mako and Korra were no longer listening.

"You okay?" Mako murmured into her ear as he held her.

"I've been better, that's for sure. But this…having you here…it really helps." she replied looking up at him again, this time with a small smile. He returned the smile, but his eyes were still filled with concern. As much as she was trying to keep her feelings hidden, he could sense that she was very worried and he didn't like it. He was willing to protect her with his life, but a part of him was terrified.

"Um, I'm starting to get the feeling you guys aren't listening to me at all!" Bolin finally protested, folding his arms in front of his chest and pouting at them. Mako and Korra backed away from each other and Mako gave an exaggerated roll of his eyes.

"Alright, Bolin. Go on." he said, with a flick of his wrist in the air.

"Ok, so here's the deal…" Bolin began, walking behind the avatar and the fire bender, who locked their hands together and headed out of the sanctuary.


	2. Private Meetings

**Chapter 2: Private Meetings**

Tenzin sat at his desk, amid loose papers, ancient bending scrolls, and books from his library. He slowly rubbed his forehead, starting to notice a dull ache that seemed to be coming from far back in his skull. Within a few hours, it would most likely become an insistent pounding that would force him to retreat to his bed to rest, but now he had more pressing matters. Just as he was trying to devise a plan to trick his youngest son, Rohan, into sleeping in his own room so that he could get a decent night of sleep, a light knock sounded at the office door.

"Come in," he replied, knowing that it was Korra arriving for their meeting. Sure enough, she shoved open the door and peered at him through the dim lighting.

"Tenzin, what's with all these candles? Where are all the lights? You must have a headache again." she reasoned, plopping down in the leather chair across from his desk. Tenzin sighed heavily, but nodded.

"Nevermind that. Let's get right to it. What happened when you started meditating today?"

She kicked one of her legs up over the chair leg, much to Tenzin's disdain, and thought for a moment before responding.

"Well, it took me a while to get there. At first, I could only hear Aang's voice. He helped me out, though, and I was able to get to him."

Tenzin was totally focused on her words. Even though his father had been gone for 21 years now, he was still fascinated by the connection she had with him.

"What did he say to you?"

"Well, first he talked about how happy he was that we can talk now, but then things got really serious." Her memory of his face and tone of voice nearly sent a shudder down her spine.

Tenzin remained silent as she continued to explain.

"He told me that it was good that I was able to defeat Amon, but also that it's not over. He said there are people who don't like my ability to energybend and who still believe in what Amon stood for."

Tenzin raised an eyebrow slightly at this news, but he wasn't totally surprised to hear it. There were many complications surrounding the events that happened with Tarrlok and his brother. There was no reason to expect a smooth transition.

She rubbed her eyes and then continued.

"He also said that I need to talk to General Iroh because there's some information I need to get from him."

Tenzin sat up straight upon hearing this news.

"What does he have to do with all of this?"

"I have no idea and it seems like Aang doesn't either. He's not even sure whether or not the general knows himself. The one thing that was clear was that it's really important. Like, it needs to happen now." she added, now stretching.

Tenzin was still very confused, but nodded his head in understanding.

"I will call Iroh, tomorrow morning and arrange a meeting. We will need to prepare for the journey and decide who will accompany you." he said in a firm tone.

Korra nodded, then continued,

"I don't have much more to tell. After that, he said we would talk again later and then sent me back."

Tenzin eyed her seriously and then asked, "How are you feeling about all of this?"

She was caught off guard by this question and quickly looked away. The light in her eyes faded a bit and Tenzin felt a twinge inside of him. He saw in her eyes a person who had been through many trials, and she was far too young to have to know anything about that.

"I guess I'm okay. It just bothers me that there are still more problem with the Equalists. I think I knew deep down that this wouldn't be over so easily, but I was hoping it would be." Her expression was innocent and Tenzin's expression softened.

"That's true, but things are a little different now. You've got access to my father and can bend all of the elements. You've even got energybending mastered. Try to stay positive, Korra."

She nodded. "I will." she said, but her facial expression was still down-trodden.

Tenzin paused before continuing with the rest of his thought.

"Also, I was thinking. Bolin and the Fire Ferrets are off-season right now. And, I'm sure I can persuade Lin to give Mako a special assignment to be a part of the escort team accompanying the avatar to the Fire Nation. What do you think?"

She looked up at him in shocked surprise, and he had a slight twinkle in his eye. Then a wide grin spread across her face.

"Thank you, Tenzin." was all that she could think to say at the moment. He shook his head, and then motioned for her to leave.

"I know you're tired. Get out of here, but I want to see you bright and early tomorrow. We have a lot of planning to do."

"Of course. Goodnight." she said, as she turned and left the office.

Tenzin then let out a deep breath and rubbed his temple. The pounding hadn't come after all and he was relieved. He grabbed one of the large books on his desk to take with him, stood, and walked toward the exit, blowing out candles along the way. When he finally reached the door, he blew out the last candle, and closed the door behind him.

Korra headed back to her room with her hands deep in her pockets. She was excited to hear that two of her favorite benders would be going with her on her trip to the fire nation, but was still feeling unnerved about her visit to the spirit world earlier that day. She wasn't sure if she was really ready for all of this. She was so lost in thought, that she didn't notice the tall, slender figure leaning against a tree on the lighted pathway a few feet away from her.

"Hey, Korra." the figure said quietly. She jumped slightly but then turned to her right, which was the direction the greeting originally came from.

"Mako! You scared me." she said, her hand floating up to her chest. He then stepped forward and planted himself next to her.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." he said, apologetically. "After dinner, Bo and I came out here to get some fresh air. He just went inside, but I wanted to stay out a little longer. I happened to notice you leaving Tenzin's office, so I figured I'd walk you back."

"Thanks." she said, inwardly relieved to see him. She clutched his arm as the pair continued walking down the pathway.

"How was your meeting, by the way?" he asked as they started to cross a grassy area that overlooked the bay.

"It was interesting." she replied. Without realizing it, she paused near a clearing and stared out across the water at the lights of Republic City. "I told Tenzin about my talk with Aang and he asked some questions."

"Care to be more specific?" Mako asked, stopping and also looking out over the water. There was a slight breeze and his red scarf was gently fluttering behind him.

"Sorry, I got a little distracted." she said, slightly shaking her head. Maybe she was more tired than she thought.

"Anyway, Aang told me that some anti-benders may resurface and we need to be ready. He told me that I need to meet with General Iroh because he's got some information for me. We are going to be heading to the fire nation soon to see what else we can find out." Korra explained.

As she was talking, Mako's facial expression turned solemn.

"That sounds like a lot to take in." he observed as he slid an arm around her.

"Yeah, it was. I'm still struggling to make sense of it." she admitted. "I just hate feeling like I don't have any idea of what to do."

He gave her a gentle squeeze as he said, "I understand." He could feel the tension in her body as he held her and wished there was something he could do to take this burden away from her.

After a slight pause, he continued, "You know you can talk to me about these things, right? You don't have to hold everything in all the time."

She nodded and looked down.

"He said that you and I have a strong connection and that I would need you. I think maybe opening up to you more is part of what he was talking about." she said slowly, as if trying to figure out the right words to say.

He didn't respond to her statement, but he simply turned her toward him and looked into her eyes.

"Are you sure you're okay with that?" he asked quietly. As a response, she lightly kissed him on the lips.

"I am." she said, as she pulled away from him.

Mako nodded and then glanced down at her necklace. He still couldn't believe that she had actually accepted his proposal. A part of him kept thinking she would look at the crudely carved pendant and laugh in his face. In reality, she had shown the opposite reaction and it had taken days for her to stop constantly touching the necklace. He realized that their engagement was partially why he was so bothered by her recent spirit journey and all that had been revealed to her. Just when it seemed like things were finally settling down and the two of them could start a life together, all of this had to pop up. If something happened to her, he wasn't sure what he would do.

Mako hadn't noticed his facial expression change from happiness to worry but Korra did and she frowned slightly as she placed her hand on the side of his face.

"Hey, I think I lost you there for a second, city boy. What happened?" she asked. He gripped her hand and refocused on her face before responding.

"I guess I just worry about you. I know things are going to get dangerous and I feel like I can't protect you from it." he said quietly, averting his eyes from hers. He looked so much like a little boy in that moment that she couldn't help the small smile that appeared on her lips.

"Anyway, it's fine. I know things will work out." he finished, slightly shaking his head as if to get rid of his troublesome thoughts. She nodded in agreement and then wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug. He slipped his arms around her waist and buried his face in her neck as they embraced, allowing himself to be lost in her for a few moments.

"I'll be okay. Don't worry." she said encouragingly, hoping her words were true. She felt his warm breath against the nape of her neck as he sighed. At that moment, they both were wishing they could stay like that for the rest of the night and not think about dangerous battles and fighting powerful enemies.

Eventually, though, they came back to reality and they released each other. As they parted, they saw lights in the windows of the living quarters start to go out and Mako glanced at his watch.

"Woah, it's way past your bed time. Let's get you inside." he commented.

He offered her his arm, which she gladly took, and they continued to walk together toward the building.


	3. Journey to Iroh

**Hello, Everyone! Thanks for reading my story! I know there's not much adventure yet, but it will come! :) I appreaciate the feedback I've gotten on this story. This chapter is a bit longer than the others, I realized, but hopefully it's easy to get through. **

**Chapter 3: Journey to Iroh**

Within three days, a giant aircraft was positioned on Air Temple Island near the front entrance and personal belongings were being loaded onto it.

"Hey, be careful with Pabu's clothes and shoes! He needs those!" Bolin was yelling to the airbender children. Ikki and Meelo both rolled their eyes toward each other as they each carried giant bags labeled "Pabu's Stuff."

"Why does a fire ferret need all this?" Meelo asked and Ikki just shrugged. Then she looked around the yard and asked out loud, "Anybody seen Jinora? She's supposed to be helping us!"

"I haven't seen her recently." Korra responded as she walked behind the children, guiding Naga to a special cargo plane. Naga groaned in irritation and Korra patted her leg.

"Come on girl. It will only be for a little while. I promise to let you play after we land."

Naga still didn't appear to be happy about this arrangement, but slowly walked onto the aircraft anyway. Pabu then scurried past Korra and followed Naga onto the plane.

"Be good and keep Naga company, okay?" Bolin called, waving. The doors to the plane were then shut and locked by the workers. Bolin looked on sadly as Korra walked up to him and put a hand on his arm.

"They'll be okay, Bo. Don't worry."

"It's not that, Korra. Who am I gonna tell my jokes to on this long flight to Iroh's place?" he said sadly. Then he wandered off to the plane dejectedly and she couldn't help but giggle.

"Well, it looks like we're all ready." Mako said walking up then, holding one last bag. He was followed by Tenzin, who was holding Rohan.

"You all be safe. Please call when you've arrived at Iroh's residence. He knows I will be expecting to hear from you." Tenzin said, shooting a stern look at Korra.

"Hey, I'll remember. I promise!" she said, throwing her hands up as if to defend herself. Tenzin's facial expression showed that he didn't completely believe her.

"Bye guys!" Rohan called, waving both of his arms as high in the air as he could. The group smiled and waved back to him as they boarded the plane. Once everyone else was on board, the doors shut and the engine started up.

"Wow, these planes are so cool! It was awesome of Asami to let us use them." Bolin observed, as he buckled himself in a looked out the window. He saw Meelo and Ikki riding air scooters near the front of the house and waving to him, and he happily waved back.

"Future Industries has come a long way. Who knew you could make aircraft that could carry people long distances?" Korra replied, also gazing out her window. She was a bit nervous about flying, but knew it was more important to try to get to the Fire Nation as fast as possible. As the plane began to accelerate, she felt her body tense up and then felt Mako's hand on top of hers. She looked over at him and he gave her hand a playful squeeze as he winked.

"Don't tell me the avatar is afraid of flying!" he said in mock disbelief.

"Hey, I'm not afraid. I just feel more comfortable on Naga…that's all," she replied, indignantly. However, she clutched his hand a bit more tightly as the nose of the plane began to tip upward into its ascent. He chuckled lightly as she shot him a withering glare.

Once the plane was safely in the air, she began to relax and decided to go search for a snack. She went to the back of the plane and began to rummage through a bag, when she felt a hand grab her wrist. She jumped and screamed in spite of herself.

"What was that?" she exclaimed, gently rubbing her wrist and looking around in surprise.

Immediately, she heard Mako call out to her, shouting, "Korra! Are you alright?" Then both he and Bolin appeared at her side.

"Someone just grabbed my wrist!" Korra explained. As the two men stood next to each other with crossed arms, the looks on their faces showed more than a little skepticism.

"Did you just say someone grabbed your wrist?" Mako questioned, raising one eyebrow in confusion.

"Yes!" she said, staring back at him as if there was no reason for him to even ask her that question. Then her eyes narrowed slightly as she looked between him and Bolin. She nodded in understanding as she said, "You guys don't believe me!"

"What? No, of course we believe you, Korra!" Bolin insisted, as if talking to someone who was on the verge of having a breakdown. Then he turned his head slightly toward his brother and whispered loudly, "Just play along. We don't want to upset her."

Mako stepped away from his brother slightly to distance himself from her glare and shrugged uncertainly.

"Well, if you think I'm just imagining things, then fine! But, there is someone else on this plane." Korra insisted, her tone turning angry. Then she looked around the back portion of the aircraft and began shouting, "I know someone's in here! Quit being a coward and show yourself!"

After about 5 seconds of uncomfortable silence, rustling could be heard from behind a pile of bags. Everyone whirled around and looked in the direction where the noise came from, only to find a young girl with short brown hair stepping out from behind the luggage stacked near the wall.

"Jinora!?" Korra shouted in shock. Mako's mouth dropped open and Bolin's eyes grew wide.

"That's amazing! How did you know she was here?" he asked Korra in awe, as if she had just performed a magic trick.

"I didn't know! In fact, she's the last person I expected it to be!" Korra said turning toward him. Then, she turned back to Jinora.

"You know you're not supposed to be here. Tenzin will kill you when he finds out."

"I know, but I couldn't stay there a minute longer. Dad is so hard to deal with and I just couldn't take it. Please don't tell him I snuck in here!" she begged, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Well, he's going to find out on his own soon enough. We'll have to call him once we land and we're not going to lie to him." Mako said, calmly.

"Plus, it's going to take us several hours to get to our destination. By the time we land, they will definitely know you're missing. Knowing him, he's probably already figured out where you are." Korra, chided.

Jinora's face fell and Korra immediately felt guilty for being so rough with her. She wrapped an arm around the young airbender's shoulders and gave Mako a look. He immediately knew that she wanted some time alone with Jinora, so he said,

"Uh, hey! Bolin! I wanted to talk to you about the Fire Ferret's last match a few weeks ago."

He started trying to guide his younger brother to the front of the plane, but Bolin stopped short.

"No way! We can talk about that later. I want to hear the rest of this!" he protested, turning his head back toward the girls. Mako grabbed him harder and pulled, muttering, "Just come on!"

After the guys were out of earshot, Korra said, "Hey, I don't mean to get so upset. I just know how worried your family is going to be. And, I know how mad Tenzin will probably be at me."

Jinora nodded silently, sniffled, and swiped her eyes, but didn't say a word.

"Let's talk. It looks like something's bothering you." Korra stated.

Once the two were seated, Jinora stared down at her hands for a long moment. Korra was just about to ask her if everything was okay, when she suddenly blurted out, "My dad hates me!" Then she covered her face with her hands as tears started to flow. "I'm sorry…I didn't mean to say that." she choked out.

Korra was caught off guard by this outburst, but recovered quickly and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"What makes you say that, Jin?"

"He's always so mad. Everytime I see him, he's frowning and he doesn't like to talk to me. I've been airbending most of my life and he still doesn't trust me to teach Ikki and Meelo some of the advanced techniques I know. I don't know what to do," she said, sadness all over her face.

"Hey, I know Tenzin can be serious, but I'm sure he's not angry with you." Korra assured her.

"Then, why is he always frowning at me? He doesn't do that to the other kids." She replied, sadly.

Korra nodded. "I think I understand what you're saying, but don't you think it would be better to just talk to him about this rather than running away?"

Jinora nodded. "Yes! But, I can't talk to him. Every time I try, he shrugs me off and has to go take care of other things." She turned her eyes up at Korra in a look of desperation. "Can you help me talk to him? He won't be mean to you."

Korra almost laughed out loud.

"I don't know if I'm the best candidate for that. He's always giving me a hard time."

"But you're the Avatar. He really respects you." she insisted. Korra completely understood where Jinora was coming from, but still didn't see how she could help her. At the same time, she couldn't just say 'no' to her.

"Okay, I'll see what I can do." Korra reluctantly agreed and Jinora jumped over and gave her a hug.

"You don't know how much this means to me!" she exclaimed. "Thank you, Korra!"

Korra hugged the young girl back, glad that she was feeling better. Deep down, though, she was worried about what she had just gotten herself into.

Hours later, the group had finally arrived in the Fire Nation. As soon as the plane landed, General Iroh's personal advisor, Wong, entered the plane.

"Avatar Korra, Mako, and Bolin. Welcome to Iroh's estate." He said looking over the group. Then his eyes fell on Jinora.

"You must be Tenzin's daughter, Jinora. He has been calling all morning, waiting for the plane to land so he could talk with you. He is very upset, but also very worried." Wong explained. Jinora looked down at her toes in guilt as Korra stepped up to her aid.

"Thank you, Wong. Please don't worry about it. I'll talk with Tenzin as soon as we're inside. Is General Iroh here?"

"He just left the premises two hours ago for a meeting with some of the Fire Nation leaders. He should be back within 20 minutes. In the meantime, I will make sure you are shown to your rooms and settled in adequately." Wong replied. The group nodded in gratitude and then began to exit the plane.

A couple of the workers who were employed by Iroh to keep up his estate provided a tour for the group. Also, two field hands unloaded the cargo plane and led the animals to an open area where they could stretch out and eat. Then, one worker took Korra and Jinora to a two-bedroom suite that would serve as their residence for the duration of their visit. Bolin and Mako were led to a similar room in a separate area of the estate. As Korra and Jinora stepped into their suite, they looked around in awe at the beauty of their accommodations.

"Wow, these rooms are huge!" Korra said as she set her bags down near her bed.

"And look, Korra. We each have our own bathroom in our rooms! How cool is that?" Jinora called from her room across the suite.

As Korra started to examine the closets and test out the feel of the bed, the phone rang.

"I'll get it!" she called out. Then she picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Avatar Korra? Sorry to disturb you, but I have Councilman Tenzin on the line wanting to talk to Jinora. He said it's urgent. Is it okay for me to patch him through?"

Korra sighed inwardly, but responded, "Sure, send him through. I need to talk to him first, anyway."

After a clicking noise could be heard, Tenzin's frantic voice came on the line.

"Jinora? Is that you? How dare you sneak onto that plane! I have never been this angry with anyone in my entire life!"

"I'm so glad you got that out of your system before I actually put her on the phone!" Korra responded, flinching herself at how harsh his words and tone of voice were.

"Korra? Put Jinora on the phone this instant!" Tenzin said angrily.

"Okay, okay, I'll put her on, but I want to talk to you first." she said calmly.

Tenzin sighed in exasperation, but let her continue.

"Jinora's fine and she understands that she was wrong to run away. There is one thing, though. She seems to think you don't like her." Korra said carefully.

"What?! That's nonsense! Why would she think that? And, why are you trying to defend her? She's a 14 year old girl and she shouldn't be running away!" Tenzin exclaimed in exasperation.

"She'll be 15 in a few months and I'm not trying to defend her! Look, I just wanted you to know that she's hurting. She feels like she can't do anything right around you and that you are always mad at her. I don't want her to run any further away from you, so I figured I'd warn you." she said slowly.

She heard Tenzin sigh for the second time, but this one lacked the energy and anger of the first one.

"Thank you for taking care of her, Korra. And thanks for this information. I think I do know what's been going on to make her think that. I haven't been exactly myself lately." Tenzin admitted, a hint of defeat in his voice.

"Tenzin, it's fine. I'm going to put her on now, so please be gentle." Korra asked. Then, before he could respond, Korra called, "Jinora, phone!"

Jinora ran into Korra's room with a petrified look on her face, but Korra smiled and gave her the thumbs up sign. Jinora then nodded and ran to her room to pick up her phone. As soon as Korra put down the phone, a knock sounded at the door. She went to go answer it, and was not surprised to see her two previous Fire Ferret teammates standing in the door way.

"Korra! Can you believe how awesome these rooms are?" Bolin yelled in excitement holding both his hands up for a double high five. Korra chuckled and slapped his hands as he and Mako entered their room. Mako closed the door behind him as Bolin inspected the kitchen.

"I think this one's bigger than ours." he was muttering as he peered into the refrigerator.

"Where's Jinora?" Mako asked as he and Korra went to take a seat on the couch.

"She's on the phone with her dad." Korra said, sighing heavily.

"I hope it's going okay. I kind of got the feeling that there are some problems happening between them." Mako said, absently sliding a lock of hair off of Korra's face and gently placing it behind her ear.

"Yeah, that's an understatement. But, I did get a chance to talk to him first, so let's hope he doesn't make things worse." Korra said. At that moment, Bolin came into the room and plopped down in a nearby chair.

"I think that mean guy from the plane said Iroh's headed here. Should be arriving in 5 minutes." he said, leaning back in the chair and stretching.

"His name is Wong and he's not mean, he's just focused." Mako explained, shaking his head at his brother.

"Whatever. He's a meanie." Bolin insisted.

Jinora came out of her room then, having finished her conversation with her dad. Her eyes and nose were red, but there was a distinct look of relief on her face. Korra stood and approached her.

"How'd it go?" she asked, trying to search her eyes for some clue.

"It was tough, but good. We both apologized to each other and he said I could stay with you guys." she said, smiling for the first time in days. Korra hugged her, relieved that the conversation didn't go where it could have gone, and then turned back to Mako and Bolin.

"Why don't you guys all go out somewhere for the day? I'm probably going to be meeting with Iroh late into the afternoon and maybe the three of you can explore the city."

"What an awesome idea! I heard the Jasmine Dragon is the best tea house chain in the world. We have to check it out." Bolin said jumping up out of his seat. Then he grabbed Jinora's hand and spun her around as she laughed out loud.

"How about it, Jin. You up for the best tea you'll ever taste?"

"Yeah." Jinora said quietly, as he twirled her around. He then guided her to a nearby chair, where she barely landed in the seat and started laughing.

"What about you? You ready for some amazing tea?" Korra asked Mako playfully and he rolled his eyes.

"Korra, you're really going to make me spend the day following him around the city like a lost puppy?" Mako asked, groaning inwardly.

"Come on, it'll be fun. When I'm done with my meeting, we'll have dinner together. Just you and me. I promise." Korra said, smiling sweetly at him. He tried to fight off a smile of his own, but failed and took her hands.

"You promise?" he asked and she nodded.

"Wherever you want to go, we'll go."

Mako embraced her for a brief moment and then turned to head toward the door, with Bolin and Jinora following him. As soon as the door was opened, the trio jumped in surprise. Wong was already standing in the doorway, staring at them.

"Woah, man. You scared me!" Bolin said, to which Wong replied, "My apologies, Bolin." Still feeling uncomfortable being near the man, Bolin inched his way around Wong and out the door.

"Excuse us." Mako said, bowing toward Wong. He returned the bow and then stepped to the side so he and Jinora could pass. Korra smiled at them as they disappeared down the walkway. Then she turned to Wong.

"I'm assuming the general is back." she stated.

"Yes. He requests your presence in his private office. I will take you there now, if you don't mind."

Korra nodded and then followed him out the door.

**I had fun with this chapter. Sorry again if the build up seems slow...there is a method to my madness! :)**


	4. The General

**I'm so happy to see people reading my story! :) Please continue to leave feedback as you see fit and I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**Chapter 4: The General**

The walk to the office was long and winding. On the way, Wong explained that a mini labyrinth had been constructed surrounding the building as a means of protecting the general. If an invasion were to take place, the enemies would find it almost impossible to locate the general's hiding place. Korra agreed, as each turn seemed to completely confuse her senses. Finally, they found themselves in an open courtyard. Korra almost gasped as she gazed at the scene.

"This is beautiful." she said as she gazed at the fountains, trees, and flowers. The courtyard clearly couldn't have existed here naturally, but it must have taken great effort to re-create it here.

"The general has a strong appreciation for nature." Wong explained as the two walked up to a giant building with double doors. He performed a series of knocks that Korra couldn't follow and then the giant door slowly creaked open. Two doormen were on the other side and opened the door all the way to allow entry into the foyer. As they walked toward the stairway, Korra was able to make out the statuesque form of General Iroh, his gold-toned eyes gleaming at her. Korra smiled and waved at him and he smiled back.

"Avatar Korra, I'm glad to see you have made it here safely. I hope your living quarters are to your liking."

"Iroh, the room is amazing. Thank you so much." she gushed, bowing slightly before him.

"Let's head to my office." he said, leading her down a darkened pathway. Wong and the doormen disappeared down another walkway, slipping away as quietly as they had appeared. As they walked, Iroh said,

"Tenzin called here several times before you arrived. He was looking for his eldest daughter and sounded very concerned. Did he find her?"

Korra chuckled.

"Oh, yeah. She snuck on our plane before we left the island and she's here with us now."

Iroh lifted an eyebrow as he opened a door that led to a massive office area.

"I see. I hope everything is alright."

"Yes, it is. Tenzin called back as soon as we landed and spoke with her. Everything seems to be okay now. She'll be travelling with us until we return to the island."

"Excellent. I think she's in good hands with you, Korra. Plus, I understand she's a very accomplished airbender, so she will be a good compliment to your team. Please have a seat." He motioned to an enormous leather chair that Korra thought could fit not only her, but also Mako, Bolin, Jinora, and possibly even Tenzin. She sunk down into the chair as Iroh perched himself on his chair across from her. A maid came in at that moment holding a tray with two glasses of water on it. She set both glasses down, bowed, and then quietly exited the room.

"So," Iroh said, taking a sip from his cup and then eyeing Korra with interest.

"Tenzin tells me that you need my help with something."

Korra nodded, thinking again about her conversation with Aang a few days before.

"Yes. You see, I spoke with Aang in the spirit world and he told me some disturbing news. He also told me that I need to speak with you immediately because you will be able to give me some information."

Although Iroh's posture was relaxed, she could see an alertness immediately come into his eyes as he looked into hers. Korra could see why he had moved up the military ranks so quickly at such a young age. He was observant, surrounded himself with only the highest quality advisors, and he seemed to have back up plans for his back up plans.

"Well, I hate to disappoint you, but I haven't been given any information to give to you." Iroh stated, setting down his glass and sitting more upright. "Are you sure this wasn't a misunderstanding?"

Korra nodded. "I know it must sound crazy to you, but Aang specifically mentioned your name when we spoke. He also said that you might not be aware of the information you have, so I didn't expect you to have something for me up front."

Korra saw a flicker of confusion in Iroh's face, but he hid it well.

"Is this about my grandfather, Fire Lord Zuko?" he asked calmly and Korra shook her head.

"Aang couldn't tell me whether or not it was but I get the feeling that it's not. All he said was that something is pointing toward you," Korra explained. "He hinted that another anti-bending revolution could start up again because of those left over from Amon's group who still believe that benders should be taken down."

Iroh nodded. "Yes, there was a man who worked closely with Amon. I don't know his name but he was the lieutenant who fought side by side with him. I wonder if we need to do some research into that man."

Korra hadn't thought of that, but it sounded good to her. "Sure, let's do that," she replied.

Iroh then began to twirl a tile between his fingers as he thought about other possible avenues to begin researching, when Korra interrupted his thoughts by saying,

"Is that a lotus tile?"

Iroh nodded and handed it to her, observing her interest in the item. It looked very old and worn, but the tell-tale lotus symbol was still distinguishable.

"It was one of the original tiles that my grandfather's uncle used to carry around. It's been passed down from my grandfather to my father and now to me. It helps me thinks sometimes." He explained.

Korra nodded and then looked at him with curiosity. Iroh noticed her expression and smiled to himself.

"What's on your mind, Korra? You seem concerned about something."

Korra, looked away, slightly embarassed that she had revealed so much with one expression.

"I'm sorry. I guess I was just wondering what you really think about all of this. I know my visit with Aang was vague and now we hve to basically take very little information and prevent a war. I'm just not sure how this is going to work out." she admitted.

Iroh nodded as he thought for a moment longer, continuing to examine his lotus tile.

"I like to think that, even if things don't make sense to us, we can still make the best choices with the information we have. It seems like that's what we're trying to do now, don't you think?" he finished, glancing up at her after he asked his question. She thought for a moment and then nodded in agreement.

"That makes a lot of sense, Iroh. Thank you." She said, giving a relieved smile. "I think we can figure this out."

"Good. Let's not waste anymore time, then." Iroh said as he picked up the phone and dialed a number.

"Wong? Please have someone fetch all of the old documents, newspapers, and effects related to the equalist group, including the lieutenant who assisted Amon with his anti-bending revolution. I need this information in my study promptly!" Iroh said quickly. He then immediately hung up the phone and stood.

"Let's head to my study. There's more room in there and we can have more peace and quiet."

'I can't believe there's a room bigger and more quiet than this one,' Korra thought to herself, but stood and followed Iroh anyway. After quite a walk with more winding paths, they arrived at the study. Once there, they found several men already unloading boxes and containers of information into the room while Wong directed them.

"That was fast!" Korra said in shock as they entered the area.

"Wong, please inform the staff and anyone who calls that I am busy for the rest of the day and must not be bothered unless it's a dire emergency." Iroh explained and Wong nodded.

"As you wish, general." he said. "I believe everything you requested is here. Is there anything else you will be needing?"

"Actually, I think there is. I'm starving. Korra, how about you? Would you like something to eat?"

Just the thought of food made her mouth water. She had been going all day and she hadn't even thought about lunch. "That would be great!" she agreed.

"I will have lunch prepared and brought here immediately."

"Very good. Thank you." Iroh replied. Then Wong and the group of men disappeared, leaving Iroh and Korra alone in the study among several piles of boxes and books.

"Well, I guess there's nothing left to do now but start looking." Korra said. Iroh nodded and the two set to work examining the information surrounding them.

**This is definitely kind of a "bridge" chapter. I know it's short and not full of action, but I think it can help give an idea of the relationship being built between Korra and Iroh. Next Chapter will be coming very soon! :)**


	5. New Encounters

**Chapter 5: New Encounters**

Bolin, Mako, and Jinora were walking together down a secluded street that they were told would lead directly to the center of town.

"I never thought I'd say this, but I'm excited to be having tea!" Bolin proclaimed proudly as he turned to Jinora.

"You know what I'm saying, Jin?"

Jinora immediately blushed and lowered her gaze due to the extra attention that the earthbender was showing her.

"Well, I-I guess so." she said quietly.

"Of course you understand. Now, tell me about your favorite flavor of tea and why." he continued.

Mako shook his head as he watched his brother continue to drone on about tea while Jinora became more and more uncomfortable. It was shocking how oblivious Bolin was to the fact that she had a crush that she'd been nursing for several months. What was even more shocking was that he had yet to figure out it was directed toward him.

At that moment they turned a corner and entered a bustling city street. There were vendors selling various novelty items and foods native to the Fire Nation.

"Wow." Jinora said in awe as she gazed at her surroundings. Even Bolin stood in silence, taking everything in.

"This is pretty amazing." Mako commented as he walked in front of the group. He glanced to his left and saw a building with a giant dragon twisting itself around the front entrance. "Look, I think that's the place you've been looking for." he said nudging Bolin.

"Yes! Let's go!" he said in excitement. Just before he and Jinora took off in the direction of the shop, Mako said,

"I'm going to look around at the shops out here for a second. Save me a seat in there."

"Alright. Hurry up, though." Bolin said before heading off in the direction of the shop with Jinora walking closely beside him.

Mako turned and headed in the direction of a certain shop that had immediately drawn his eye. It was covered with water tribe symbols and he immediately knew that he would be able to find exactly what he was looking for there. As he walked up to the counter, he began to run his fingers over the various necklaces and pendants that were hanging there.

"Are you interested in one of our hand-crafted betrothal necklaces, son? For a special girl maybe?" an aged man said, as he noticed him eyeing the jewelry. "I can get you a great deal on it."

"No thanks. I was actually looking for a waterbending scroll." Mako replied.

"Ah. Now tell me, is this a beginner or advanced waterbender you're buying for?"

Mako chuckled to himself as he replied, "Definitely a very advanced bender."

"Then you will be interested in this." the man said pulling a box from underneath the counter. It was a worn, wooden box that looked to be hundreds of years old. Mako was immediately drawn to the artifact.

"Now, this is an ancient scroll with a special healing form hand written on it by one of the first waterbenders."

The man jammed an old key into the lock, rotated it slightly, and then shook it. The latch gave and the man slowly lifted the lid.

"You have to be very careful with this scroll. Just the slightest mistake handling it could destroy it." the man said dramatically. Then he slowly unrolled the scroll and displayed the healing form.

"I can't believe this. I didn't even know there were healing forms," Mako said as he gently fingered the material the scroll was made of.

"There aren't anymore. This is one of the last remaining healing form scrolls on this side of the world. Back when it was first discovered and taught to others, scrolls were used to understand the properties of healing with water. Over time, the scrolls disappeared and techniques spread from word of mouth and teachers."

"Is there anything special about this form?" Mako asked, already picturing how he would present the scroll to Korra.

"Yes. It is one of the most powerful healing techniques ever discovered. It is said that this form was used to restore someone who had suffered fatal injuries and was left for dead. Only the strongest benders are able to use it."

That was all that Mako needed to hear.

"Perfect. I would like this scroll, please." he said.

After taking some time to negotiate a fair price, Mako walked away with the scroll and headed to the tea shop to meet up with Bolin and Jinora. Just as he entered the door, a friendly hostess greeted him by saying,

"Welcome to the Jasmine Dragon. How many in your party?"

"I'm actually with those two over there." Mako said, motioning to the table where Bolin and Jinora sat, surrounded by various cups of tea.

"Well, I really like this one, but this one is also not too bad. Can I have both?" Bolin asked the waitress just as Mako walked up to the table and took his seat.

"Of course. I'll be back with 3 cups of tea." she said grabbing the menus and disappearing into the back of the store.

Once the waitress left, Jinora turned to Mako.

"So, did you find what you were looking for?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I think so." he replied, clutching the bag that held the special healing scroll.

Jinora smiled at him reassuringly and said, "I'm sure she'll love it."

He half-smiled in agreement, hoping she was right.

After a few more moments of conversation among the group, a teenage boy came up to the table holding the cups of tea that had been ordered by Bolin and Jinora.

"Sorry to interrupt, but here's your tea." As he set each cup down, his eyes lingered on Jinora's face for a moment longer before standing upright with the empty tray.

"Does everything look okay?" he asked, continuing to focus his gaze mainly on the young airbender.

"Everything looks perfect." Bolin commented, reaching eagerly for his teacup.

"Yes, thank you." Jinora said, glancing at him for only a second and then quickly looking back down at the table top.

"Great. Let me know if you need anything. My name is Kado." he said bowing. Then he disappeared back near the kitchen area.

"That guy seems interested in you, Jin." Bolin commented as he took a sip from his cup. Jinora stared deeply into her tea, as if looking for a place to disappear and avoid the conversation.

"Um, what do you mean?" she asked, after a momentary pause.

"Come on. He barely looked at me or Mako when he brought out our order. I know you saw it." Bolin pressed. Mako raised an eyebrow in surprise when Jinora's face turned a shade of red that he was positive didn't exist in nature. Then he softly chuckled.

"Bo, leave her alone. She's trying to enjoy her tea." he said. Then he took his brother's other tea cup and sipped it.

"Woah! This tea is amazing!" he said, shock in his voice.

"Of course it is! I tried to tell you." Bolin said, snatching back his teacup. "Now, get your own!"

Jinora smiled as the two went back and forth about the teacup. She looked around the shop, taking in the decorations and the dragon theme, thinking to herself how nice it was to be off the island for once. She always felt so stifled at home, trapped within the walls of her father's watchful eye. Whenever she took her glider for a spin to clear her head in the mornings, she could almost feel his gaze on her, even when he wasn't nearby. She sighed deeply as she thought about how much she would miss this freedom of travelling and how hard it would be to adjust back to life at home.

She continued to scan the restaurant when her eyes fell on their server, Kado. He emerged from behind a closed doorway and began clearing another table. She watched him as he sauntered through the tables, showing a level of agility that she didn't expect someone his age to possess. As she continued to follow his movements, he grabbed several teacups at once and carried them with one arm. She found herself very impressed by this feat because his hands seemed so nimble and he moved with such precision. She wondered what he did with his free time outside of the shop. At that moment, he glanced in the direction of their table and momentarily locked eyes with her. His face immediately lit up as he smiled at her and she timidly returned the smile before returning her eyes to the bottom of her teacup.

"Uh, Jin? Are you done checking out your boyfriend yet, because I asked you a question!" Bolin complained, waving his hand in front of Jinora's face to get her attention. She involuntarily jumped and then stammered,  
"I-I'm sorry, Bolin. I was distracted for a second."  
"Obviously." he said, rolling his eyes for emphasis. Mako was amused by this exchange as he grabbed his brother's tea and finished it off. Clearly her crush on Bolin was fading.

"I was trying to find out what you want to do next." Bolin repeated, grabbing the same teacup Mako had just put down. Once he realized it was empty, he glared at his brother.

"I don't know. I'm kind of tired. Maybe we can just head back and rest or something." Jinora said, finishing her drink and yawning.

"I agree. Let's get some rest." Mako said standing and tossing some money for the bill onto the table.

"Alright. I need to go find Pabu anyway. Let's go!" Bolin chimed in.

The group headed out of the shop and back to Iroh's estate. Jinora took one quick glance back at the shop, thinking fleetingly of Kado, and then turned her focus back on her travel companions.

**Yay for new characters! Thanks again for any feedback and I hope you all are continuing to follow along with the plot! :)**


	6. Hidden Secrets

**Chapter 6: Hidden Secrets**

Several hours had passed and Korra felt like she had gotten nowhere on her search for information.

"I think we need to call it quits. We've been at this all day and haven't found much of anything." she said, leaning back against the wall and rubbing her temples. She glanced outside and noticed that evening was fast approaching. She wondered what her friends had spent the afternoon doing to entertain themselves.

"Maybe you're right. Looking at it with fresh eyes tomorrow is probably a smart idea." Iroh agreed, leaning back in his desk chair. "At least we were able to get a name for the lieutenant, though."

"Yeah. He goes by Tako. Do you know if he has any family members?" Korra asked, not sure where the question came from but figuring it must be important.

Iroh scanned another document for a moment and then nodded slowly.

"Yes. He doesn't have any children himself, but has nieces and nephews. Maybe there's something there."

Korra nodded. "That does seem like a promising direction."

"Let's keep researching this over the next few days. When do you need to head back to Air Temple Island?" Iroh questioned, as he led her to the door of his study.

"I'm not leaving until we figure this all out." she responded and Iroh nodded in understanding. Then he opened the door and, as usual, Wong was ready and waiting in the doorway.

"If you don't mind, Wong will escort you back to your room. I have some more business to take care of. We can continue this tomorrow morning, if that's okay with you." Iroh asked, offering his hand to Korra for a hand shake. Korra grasped it firmly and pumped it up and down.

"Absolutely, Iroh. Thanks so much for your help. I can see now why Aang told me to come talk to you. You're like a detective!"

Iroh grinned and chuckled, saying. "Have a good night, Korra."

Wong then led her back to her room, through the maze of pathways. The sun was just starting to dip near the mountains as Korra walked up to the suite. When she entered, she shut the door behind her and sank down into the couch. The day was finally starting to catch up with her and she leaned back and closed her eyes for a moment. All of the information she had gathered throughout the day was swirling around in her head like a whirlpool and she still felt no closer to her goal of preventing a new war.

"I feel like I've gotten nowhere today." she murmured to herself. "Man, someone give me a clue!"

At that moment, it occurred to her that the suite was silent, save her muttering. She stood and peeked in Jinora's room. Her bed was made and empty. Korra wondered where she was, but figured she might still be with the boys. Korra then went into her bedroom, preparing to call Mako, when she noticed an old box sitting on the comforter with a note attached. She stared at the item in confusion as she approached the bed. The closer she got, the more intrigued she became. Clearly, this box was very old and she was eager to find out what was contained within it. She first grabbed the note, and immediately recognized Mako's almost illegible scrawl. She smiled as she read: "Korra, I saw this and thought of you. I hope you like it. Love, Mako."

Korra was grinning now as she set the note down on the dresser and grabbed the old key sticking out of the box. She twisted it and heard a loud clicking noise. Then she slowly lifted the box. The moment she saw the scroll inside the box, her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. She carefully grabbed the scroll between her fingers and laid it on the bed spread. As she unrolled it, she could feel her heart beat quickening.

"I can't believe this. It's a healing scroll!" she said aloud as she carefully fingered the hand written forms. Katara had told her about these scrolls from ancient times, but she couldn't believe there was one sitting before her. As she looked over the positions outlined on the scroll, she whistled under her breath.

"This looks really difficult." she said, flattered that Mako thought she was strong enough to learn this skill, but unsure if she actually could pull it off. She then carefully rolled the scroll back, placed it back in its box, and placed the box in a chest of drawers. She had this sudden urge to be near Mako at that moment, so she picked up the phone and dialed the number to his room. On the third ring, she heard Bolin say,

"Bolin's suite, what's up?"

"Bolin, you are a guest in Iroh's home! How is it your suite now?" Korra asked.

"Oh, Korra! Did you finish up your work with the general?"

"Yeah, finally. We've still got more to do, but we think we're on to something. Is Mako around?"

Bolin paused before answering.

"Yeah." he said carefully.

"O-kay. So, where is he?" she asked, slightly confused by his response. At that exact moment, her door opened and Mako poked his head into the room.

"Um, well…he should be…"Bolin said, seemingly at a loss for words.

"Nevermind. He just walked in. And, by the way, you're horrible at covering for people." Korra said, laughing now.

He gasped in mock hurt and Korra continued to laugh as she hung up the phone. She then turned to her guest and folded her arms.

"Were you planning something, cool guy?"

Mako looked sheepish as he nodded. "I wanted to be here when you got back but I guess you beat me."

Korra suddenly went over to him and hugged him tightly. When they parted, he looked at her in amusement.

"What was that for?" he asked and she motioned her head toward her room.

"Your gift was amazing. I can't believe you found an original healing scroll!" she responded excitedly and he looked hurt.

"You already saw it? I was hoping I could at least watch you open it." he said, looking dejectedly at the floor.

"I'm sorry." she replied taking his hand. "But, thank you so much, Mako. I love it."

Just as he smiled and leaned in to kiss her, Bolin burst through the door with Jinora and another visitor following closely behind him.

"Hey, get a room!" Bolin called running to the couch, grabbing a pillow and throwing it at his brother with full force.

"We _are _in a room!" Mako retorted, shielding Korra from the pillow and catching it with two hands. Then, he tossed the pillow back at Bolin. It sailed over his head and was heading directly for Jinora, when the visitor quickly reached his hand out and grabbed it out of the air before it was able to smack her in the face.

"Wow, you've got great reflexes! Who are you?" Korra asked, approaching their guest to introduce herself.

"It's the tea guy!" Bolin proudly proclaimed, clapping him hard on the back. He lurched forward from the force of Bolin's hit, but then composed himself and offered his hand to Korra.

"Actually, my name is Kado." He replied, bowing slightly. "Pleased to meet you, Avatar Korra."

Korra was embarrassed by his bow and kindly smiled back at him, "You, too. Kado. And you can just call me Korra."

Kado nodded slightly as he bowed again and then stepped back to take his position next to Jinora. She smiled at him reassuringly and his entire facial expression relaxed as he returned her smile. Korra looked between the two of them in amusement for a moment and then said,

"Tea guy…that must be Bolin's way of saying that you work at the Jasmine Dragon."

"Yes." Kado nodded. "Jinora, Mako, and Bolin all came in today for some tea and that's how we met."

"How did they manage to get you to come back here?" Korra asked in confusion. Jinora blushed as Bolin chimed in.

"That was all me, Korra. Just as we were leaving the shop, he came running out of the store because Mako left his jacket at the table. I asked him if he had met any airbenders lately, and he said no. So then I introduced Jinora." Bolin said proudly.

Just before he could continue the rest of his story, the front door to the suite burst open, and Wong stood there with two assistants. The look in his eye displayed an urgency that made a pit begin to form in Korra's stomach. He even appeared to be out of breath, which was uncharacteristic for him.

"Wong?" she asked turning toward the man. "Is everything alright?"

"My apologies for bursting in like this, but there's been an attack. It happened a little over an hour ago."

Instantly all of the positive energy was sucked out of the room and was replaced with a heavy tension. Korra felt the heaviness most of all, and took a step back from Wong, as if doing this would help her better prepare for the bad news that was coming. It took Wong a moment to gather his thoughts to continue, and that was a moment too long for Bolin.

"Where did this happen!? Is it the General's quarters? Air Temple Island? Come on, spit it out!" Bolin shouted impatiently.

Wong paused and let out a weary sigh. He then turned to face Korra, looked into her eyes sadly, and said,

"The attack was made on the South Pole. The victims were the people of the Southern Water Tribe."

**Cliff hanger? Yes indeed! I really had fun with this chapter. Don't worry...the next one is on the way! :)**


	7. Close to Home

**Thanks for waiting patiently for the continuation of the story. Also thanks for reading! :)**

**C****hapter 7: Close to Home**

Korra's heart began to pound and she found that her breath was coming in shallow gasps. Had Wong really just said that the Southern Water Tribe, her home, had been attacked? No, that couldn't have been right. Just as she was about to continue in her state of disbelief, Mako's insistent questioning brought her back to reality.

"What do you mean? Who attacked it and why?" he asked, stepping in front of Korra defensively.

Wong shook his head.

"We're still investigating that, but the damage was severe. The Southern Water Tribe has been nearly destroyed. Korra, I'm sorry." He said looking down. His tone and facial expression showed more emotion than any of them thought he was capable of displaying. The entire group stood in stunned silence as Korra's eyes widened.

"No…" she murmured. "What about my parents…my family! Are they okay?" she asked desperately, running over to Wong and grabbing his shoulders.

Wong shook his head in defeat and replied quietly,

"It's hard to say, but there are numerous casualties and many people who remain unaccounted for. The whereabouts of your parents are currently unknown."

Tears sprang into Jinora's eyes as she breathed, "Oh, Korra." Kado tentatively placed a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her and Jinora instinctively placed her hand over his.

Korra stood for a moment in shock, then suddenly turned and ran into the bedroom. Mako glanced at his brother who looked so serious that it was alarming. Then he also ran into the bedroom after her as the rest of the group began questioning Wong further to try to gather more information.

"Korra, what are you doing?" Mako asked once he was in her doorway. It looked like a tornado had hit, due to all of the clothes that were flying through the air. Some fell in the general vicinity of her bags but most of them landed on the floor and near the bed.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I've got to pack up and go! I've got to help my family!" she shot back, the waver in her voice giving the only clue to the fear she was experiencing in that moment.

"Hey, just stop for a minute." he said gently grabbing her shoulders.

"No, Mako! There's no time!" she insisted, shrugging him off and continuing to empty her drawers.

"But, we need to make a plan first! We can't just go charging in there. What if the attacker is waiting for us to show up? This could be a trap!" Mako insisted, trying to reason with her.

"What am I supposed to do, then!? I'm useless just standing around here. Besides, my parents could already be dead!" she shouted. Then she stopped in her tracks, as if hearing the words out loud finally allowed the realization of her deepest fear to sink in. She sat down heavily onto the bed, her energy suddenly depleted, and covered her face with her hands.

"They could already be dead." She repeated weakly, and her shoulders began to shake uncontrollably as the tears she had been holding back finally broke through. Mako silently wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. Eventually she turned toward him, laying her head on his shoulder, and clutched him as if her life depended on it.

"We don't know that for sure yet. Let's not get ahead of ourselves, okay?" he said to her softly.

She didn't respond, but just let him hold her for a few moments longer as her tears subsided and her breathing became more normal. Then she pulled away and wiped her eyes.

"The hardest part of this whole thing is that I have no idea why this is happening. Is this person trying to send a message to me by hurting my loved ones? I don't get it." she said. She felt much more calm now that she had gotten her feelings out, but she was starting to notice anger creeping in to replace her fear.

Mako shrugged as he replied, "I don't get it either. We just have to focus on helping the water tribe people now. They need us."

Korra nodded in agreement, but she fully intended to get to the bottom of this situation and find the person who did this. Mako grabbed her hand and intertwined his fingers with hers. He could feel that her hand was shaking, and he gave it a firm squeeze. He couldn't be sure if she was shaking from fear, anger, or both, but he hoped it helped nonetheless.

"Don't forget, you're not doing this by yourself, Korra." He reminded her and she nodded again, smiling a little this time.

At that moment, Kado slowly peeked his head into the room, looking ashamed that he was intruding.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but General Iroh has arranged for air transport for us to get to the South Pole immediately." He reported.

"Us?" Mako asked, raising an eyebrow. Kado nodded, blushing, as he entered the room.

"I asked if I could come along and Bolin and Jinora agreed. My older sister has been staying in the South Pole for the last few months and I'm worried about her. Also, I have some sword-fighting experience and maybe I can help you guys out." He explained.

Korra then stood and offered her hand to Kado who cautiously grasped it.

"Welcome to the team." she said, offering a small smile and shaking his hand. Kado was beside himself that she, the Avatar, had actually touched him, and he fought the urge to bow down at her feet.

"My only aim is to help protect you and your comrades, Korra." he said, slightly bowing his head.

"What about the tea shop?" Mako asked as he got to his feet and stood next to Korra.

"I'm fighting alongside the Avatar to defeat these enemies, so I'm really not worried about taking some time off. Besides, I need a change of pace." He said.

"I really hope your sister's okay, Kado." Korra commented, and Kado nodded.

"Me too." He replied

Bolin walked into the room then and embraced Korra. After holding her silently for a few seconds, he said,

"Sorry about all this, Korra. You know I've got your back." Korra was surprised by his sincerity in a situation where he might normally crack a joke. She felt her eyes threatening to water again and said, "Thanks, Bo. It means a lot to me." Jinora also echoed similar thoughts and Korra was thankful her friends were there for her.

Just then, Wong walked over to the group, speaking in hushed tones with one of his assistants. When he was finished, he turned to them and said, "We're ready to depart whenever you are."

Korra looked around at the faces of her little group and smiled to herself. It comforted her to know that they would be by her side throughout this whole ordeal. She took in a deep breath, let it out, and said, "Okay. I think we're ready to do this." The group nodded in agreement and then went about getting their belongings together. After everyone had finished packing, they boarded the aircraft and took off for the long flight to the South Pole.

**This is definitely the shortest chapter I wrote, but I wanted to make sure some important plot points got revealed. The next chapter is on the way!**


	8. Confrontation

**Chapter 8: Confrontation**

Korra knew the attack was bad. Wong had made it clear that the devastation was hard to describe. But this…this was beyond her comprehension. As she and her group walked out of the plane and took their first steps onto the snow-packed countryside, Korra couldn't help but feel a lump form in her throat. She felt Mako's gloved hand grab her own and when she looked over at him, she was surprised to find such pain in his eyes. The entire group stood in solemn silence as they stared at the scene. The earth was literally scorched and blackened, as if someone had set it on fire. Numerous buildings were charred and imploding. Black snow was still falling from the sky, reminiscent of the snow that fell when the fire nation attacked the area in the past looking for waterbenders. People were wandering around aimlessly, picking up burned possessions and what was left of their homes. Some people were in groups, huddled together and crying for the loved ones they had lost in the attack. As Korra silently scanned the area, refusing to let tears blur her vision, she noticed the form of a man she recognized walking with determination toward a wood pile.

"Dad! Dad, it's me!" Korra immediately called, half-sliding, half-running toward him. Tonraq immediately looked up from what he was doing and turned toward her just in time to catch her in his arms as she tumbled into them.

"Korra, my daughter." he said, emotion choking his voice.

"I'm so glad you're safe." She said holding him tightly and taking in his scent. She didn't realize until that moment how seriously she had believed that she would never see him again.

As they parted, she looked around again and asked, "Where's mom?"

"She was hurt in the attack. She's resting now."

"Is she okay? I want to see her." Korra insisted.

Tonraq motioned toward a house a few feet away and said, "She's in there."

Korra looked at the house and then back at him in confusion.

"But, why isn't she in the hospital?"

He sighed heavily. "That was the first thing they attacked. The hospital was destroyed in a matter of minutes. I think they knew that we would eventually succumb without a safe place to heal our wounded."

Korra was at a loss as she tried to comprehend such malicious behavior, but refocused on her parents and asked, "Can I see her?"

"Of course. Just go right in and they'll take you to her." Tonraq replied. Before she could walk away, he placed both of his hands on her shoulders and locked eyes with her.

"She may appear to be in bad shape, but she'll be okay." He said and she nodded, taking in a deep breath and slowly releasing it. Then she embraced her dad once more before heading toward the house.

As she thought about the kind of person that would do this to innocent people, she shook her head in disgust and trudged toward the front door of the home her mother was resting in. She felt more anger building up inside of her, but pushed it away to focus on checking in with her mother. The few people who were out and about in the town were now noticing that she had returned but respectfully gave her space to spend time with her family.

As soon as she entered, she was quietly led to a back room where her mother was in a bed. Her eyes were closed and there were cuts on the side of her face. Her right arm was bandaged and her legs were covered by a blanket. Korra walked up to the bed, unsure if she was awake, and peeked under the covers to see if there were any more hidden injuries. She gasped as she saw both of her mother's legs completely bandaged.

"Korra, you're home." Senna said, weakly, gazing at her with tired eyes. At some point while Korra was examining her, she had awakened and noticed what Korra was doing.

"Mom." she said softly, going to her side and sitting in the chair that was already placed there. She took her hand and squeezed it.

"What did they do to you? You're badly hurt."

"I'm okay, my dear. Just looks worse than it is." Senna replied. She pulled Korra toward her and embraced her gently, kissing her forehead as she did. Korra wanted to completely let all of her emotions out in that moment, knowing that the safety she felt in her mother's arms was on the same level as what she felt in Mako's arms. However, she held it together and pulled away from her after a moment.

"Is your arm broken?" Korra asked and her mother nodded.

"What about your legs? It looks pretty serious." Korra said tentatively, not sure if she wanted to know the answer.

"I was outside when the attack happened. I was at the base of the mountainside next to the house when an avalanche was triggered by the blasts. I fell awkwardly and hurt my arm. Then some large rocks fell on my legs and I was pinned to the ground. Earthbenders who were visiting town managed to remove them, but the damage had already been done." Senna explained.

"Will you walk again?" Korra asked, a more firm tone to her voice now. Her jaw was slowly clenching and unclenching as more anger began to build inside of her.

"Hopefully. It's going to take a long recovery process, but there's only so much they can do. I may have to remain in a wheel chair permanently."

Korra shook her head as she murmured, "This is not right. It's just not fair."

As she sat there, stewing, she began to hear loud noises outside and screams. It sounded like explosions going off all around her. She jumped up in alarm as Senna said, "Oh, no. They're back." Her eyes filled with tears as she slowly raised her good hand up to her mouth.

"Mom, I'll be right back. Just stay calm." Korra instructed. Then she ran outside the house to see fresh smoke curling up from the ground and other buildings. She looked around and saw that many of the people who were outside just moments ago were now hiding in their homes or in some secret areas of the town.

"Korra," Kado said running up to her at that moment.

"Kado! Where's everyone? What's going on?" Korra asked as more missiles were falling and slamming into the ground.

"They're all okay. They're further toward the entrance of the town fighting." he explained.

They both sprinted in the direction of the entrance and found Bolin, Jinora, and Mako fighting against three chi blockers.

"Mako!" Korra called as he shot several fire balls at the chi blocker in front of him, who avoided all of the shots he fired.

"Stay back!" Mako called without turning around. "I don't want them to touch you. Go after the leader." He instructed.

Korra was about to protest, but decided that there was no time for arguing.

"Please be careful. Protect yourselves!" she shouted. Then she turned to Kado and said, "Who is the leader?"

Kado was about to answer that he didn't know, when they both sensed a presence behind them.

"Hello, avatar."

As soon as those words were spoken, the pair turned around to see a woman standing in front of them holding two electrified kali sticks.

"Who are you?"Korra asked angrily. "And why are you doing this?"

The woman smiled.

"Who cares? The important thing is that you're here now."

Korra felt her body temperature rising as the realization hit her.

"This was all done just to draw me here?"

The woman chuckled as she twirled one of her sticks in hand.

"You're a smart one, aren't you?"

Korra immediately bent some water into her hands and rotated it steadily in front of her as she got into a fighting stance.

"Oh, no. You might not want to do that just yet." The woman said as she motioned to their left. Korra and Kado looked over to see Bolin and Mako on the ground, trying to recover from a vicious attack. As they slowly got to their feet, one of the chi blockers grabbed Jinora and held her with an electrified glove on her neck.

"No! Jinora! Put her down now!" Korra called preparing to bend the water directly at the attacker.

"If you do that, she dies." The woman said, all of the playfulness leaving her voice.

"Those gloves are new and improved from the ones you remember. If he activates it now, the force of the electrical current will stop her heart. Is that what you want?"

"Korra, it's okay." Kado said, placing his hand on her shoulder. "We don't want them to hurt her."

Korra angrily lowered her hands, allowing the water to fall onto the ground with a splash.

Bolin and Mako were now on their feet and standing near Jinora and the chi blocker holding her. Jinora's face was calm, but her eyes were filled with fear. It was all Kado could do to keep from running at the chi blocker and snatching her out of his arms.

"Great. Now that everyone's listening, I'm here to negotiate. I'll give you the girl, but I want the boy in exchange for her." The woman said staring directly at Kado. Korra looked at him, stunned, and then protested.

"I don't understand! Why do you want Kado?"

"Nevermind that. It's like I said, Kado for Jinora. If you don't like it, then we're taking her with us."

It only took a few seconds for Kado to speak up.

"Okay. Take me." He said, putting his hands up in surrender.

"No, Kado." Jinora said and then grunted as the chi blocker tightened his grip on her.

"Kado, you don't have to do this. We'll figure something else out." Korra said hastily.

He shook his head as he took a few steps toward the woman.

"It's okay, Korra. We don't have a choice and all I care about is Jinora's safety. I'll go with them. Maybe I can find out what's really going on." He said quietly. Korra had a look of defeat on her face, but knew deep down that he was right. This was the best option.

"Just stay alive, okay?" Korra said, and he gave an encouraging smile. The woman walked up to him then and handcuffed him. As soon as Kado was in their custody, the chi blocker let go of Jinora. She used her airbending to float herself near Mako and Bolin. Bolin was the closest to her when she landed and she immediately ran to him. He grabbed her without hesitation and held her firmly.

"You're okay, Jin. It's alright." He said. She nodded as she tried to calm her own breathing. Then she looked over Bolin's shoulder and called out, "Kado! I'm sorry."

Kado smiled at her and said, "Don't be, Jinora. I'm just glad you're okay."

At that moment, an aircraft appeared with a series of cables hanging down from a hatch. The woman grabbed Kado and a loose cable as the other chi blocker also grabbed a hold of a second cable. The two chi blockers that were fighting before had already disappeared inside the aircraft. The group was slowly lifted into the air as the cables were retracted back into the plane. Korra, Mako, Bolin and Jinora looked on as Kado was taken onto the plane and then flown away to a unknown location.

"Do you think he's going to be okay?" Jinora asked, worry in her voice.

"He's stronger than you think," Korra assured her. "I just hope we can figure out what's really going on before anyone else gets hurt."

**Reviews are always appreciated! Thanks for sticking with me. :)**


	9. Uncovered

**Over half way through the story and I'm so excited about all of the views! Thanks to those who are following my story and, as always, I would love to hear from you all about how you're liking it so far!**

* * *

**Chapter 9: Uncovered**

As Kado sat in the empty room, blind folded, he wondered how long he had been there and how much longer before he met his true captor. His wrists were raw from the hand cuffs that bound his hands, but all he could think about was Jinora and the look on her face when he was being taken onto the plane. She looked heartbroken and he decided that he would do anything within his power to keep that look from ever appearing on her face again.

Suddenly, he heard a door open and a female voice he didn't recognize say, "Get him." He was grabbed roughly and pulled into a standing position. Then he was shoved forward and dragged down a walkway. He felt his arms brush against walls on his left and right, so he could only guess that the passage was very narrow. His legs were a little wobbly, most likely from being in his crouched position on the plane for so long. He stumbled along the path not sure how long it would take to get to the destination.

Finally, he was shoved forward into an open space and then forced down to his knees. His blindfold was ripped off harshly and he blinked, trying to adjust his eyes to the brighter lighting. The room was plain with concrete walls and stone floors. When he looked up at the person sitting in front of him, his mouth dropped open in disbelief.

"Sis?" was all he could manage to say. He looked on in horror as she slowly stood from her seat and walked toward him.

"My sweet little brother. I'm sure you're surprised to see me here." As she walked toward Kado, her dark brown eyes were staring intently into his matching ones. At first glance, the resemblance was uncanny, with both siblings sharing the same shade of black hair and olive colored skin.

"But, I don't understand…" he trailed off. "Rei, did you attack the Southern Water Tribe? What is all of this?" he said, completely dumbfounded.

"It's not that complicated, Kado. You know our uncle was completely devastated when he was betrayed by Amon. As his lieutenant, he would have given his life for him. The old fool even went as far as to take his own life after he found out the truth." She had now reached him and she slowly raised him to his feet. Kado towered over her by several inches, but Rei had a commanding presence that made her appear as the dominant one.

"Now, don't get me wrong," she continued, circling him as she spoke. "I'm not trying to avenge him. I just hate to see a good cause go to waste."

"A good cause? You're killing innocent people out of fear! How is that a good cause?" Kado argued, as he turned his turned his head around to follow her movements.

"Do you really have to ask? It's them versus us. Just because we were born without the privilege of controlling elements, we have to be subservient to those horrible benders? Where's the fairness in that?" She explained, anger etched in her eyes.

Kado was having trouble comprehending his sister's mindset. Nothing she was saying was making any sense to him.

"No one's in servitude here! We can all live together in peace. How can you not see that?"

Rei chuckled as she rolled her eyes.

"Figures. That avatar and her band of misfits have you brainwashed. And, my fighters noticed you taking an interest in that airbender girl. Is that what this is about?" she said, eyeing him suspiciously.

Kado shook his head in exasperation.

"I care about all of them, but that's not what this is about. It's about you trying to start a world war based on lies and ignorance. Snap out of it, Rei!"

"You've always been so smart, Kado. But, sometimes, you just don't use your head enough."

Kado was so angry now that his arms would have been flailing in the air, if they were free.

"What's the point of all of this? Why bring me here in the first place?" He yelled, glaring at her.

"I just wanted you to know that I'm the one cleansing our world. I wanted to offer you a chance to join me and fight together as a family." She said, the look on her face appeared to be serious for the first time during their entire conversation.

Kado looked disgusted as he replied, "There's no way I'd join you. You're messed up, Rei. So, you can just take me out now, if that's what you're planning to do."

Rei pretended to look hurt as she gasped.

"I would never dream of killing my own brother. I'm planning to return you to your friends."

He sighed in frustration as he responded, "But why? I know who you are and I can come after you."

"Of course you can't come after me. You have no idea where you are right now and you won't know anything more after we're done here. Even if you managed to figure it out and try to come after me, it's okay, because your avatar is my real target. Once I am able to defeat her, I can reach my ultimate goal."

"How do you plan on getting to her?"Kado asked.

"Well, by now she's probably livid at what we've done to her home and family. All I have to do is issue a simple challenge and she'll come running."

"Not if I warn her first," Kado replied.

"Try if you like, but I've been watching her and I know her personality. She will not refuse my challenge, no matter what you tell her. But, make no mistake about it; you won't be telling her anything." Rei said, confidently.

Kado said nothing and looked away, knowing that his sister was right but feeling horrible about the entire situation. After a moment of introspection, he turned his attention back to his sister.

"So, what's your plan now? Are you going to attack another group of innocents? Maybe you could just go around bombing all of the people in the area, that way you'll have no one alive to oppose you!" he said, disdain in his voice.

Rei shook her head, a look of amusement on her face.

"Sarcasm doesn't suit you, Kado. But, to answer your question, no. I will not attack any other nation. I'm going to attack the avatar."

Kado looked up at her in alarm. "What? How are you supposed to do that?"

"That's not for you to worry about. But you'll find out soon enough…you'll be standing right there to see it."

Rei motioned to one of her assistants and the woman who had originally kidnapped him walked forward and spoke quietly to her. Then she nodded her head and disappeared.

"As we stand here talking, the avatar is being sent a message to meet me and settle this. When we get there, I want you to see how this all plays out and how my rule will help save these people."

Kado lowered himself to the ground and looked down at his lap. He was so disgusted that he had nothing left to say to her. He just sat in silence avoiding any contact with her.

"Oh, Kado. Don't do this now. We're no longer in grade school so stop acting like a child and speak up. I know you have something to say." Rei insisted, but Kado wouldn't budge.

"Fine, then. Suit yourself. But you will have plenty to say later when you are forced to watch me defeat the avatar and destroy all benders. You'll see."

Without another word, she left the room, followed by the other assistants who were there. The door slammed shut, and Kado sighed in defeat. He hoped that Jinora was okay and he hoped that the group would actually be able to fight against his sister to stop this domination. He knew he would do his best to stop her, but he also knew that his sister's determination was hard to oppose.

"Be ready, guys. Please be ready," he murmured to himself. Then, finally being overcome by his exhaustion, he leaned his head back against the concrete and immediately slipped into a fitful sleep.

* * *

**Another short chapter, but important! Feedback is appreciated and more chapters are on the way!**


	10. The Challenge

**Chapter 10: The Challenge**

Korra lay in bed, tossing and turning. She rotated from her side to her back to her stomach and back to her side. Eventually, she opened her eyes in frustration and sighed.

"I can't sleep. This is ridiculous." She said to herself. She threw the covers off and swung her legs over the bed. Then, she got up, threw on her robe, and walked into the kitchen. Her father was already sitting at the table, sipping tea and staring off into space.

"Dad? What are you doing up already?" she asked, rubbing her eyes and walking toward the dining table.

"I could ask you the same thing." He replied, motioning for her to have a seat across from him. A steaming cup of tea was already sitting in the empty chair. Korra smiled and took a seat across from her father. As she sipped her drink, he gazed at her with concern.

"How are you holding up?" he asked quietly, observing her facial expression. Korra slowly shook her head as she set her cup down. If she had a yuan for every time someone had asked her that question over the past few days, she wouldn't have to worry about money for a long time.

"Honestly, I'm not sure. I was okay until all of this happened. I feel a little lost." She admitted.

Tonraq nodded in understanding.

"You know, when your mother and I first discovered that you were the avatar, we were both so excited. But we were also a little scared because we knew that you would be facing some difficult days ahead. It looks like they're continuing now." He said, reflectively.

Korra stared absently at the table and also nodded.

"I wish I was handling things better." she said. "Maybe no one would have been hurt. Jinora, Kado, Mom…"

Tonraq shook his head and said, "I can't let you take the blame for that, Korra. You're doing a great job and your mom and I are very proud of you."

Korra paused momentarily before responding, and at that moment a knock sounded at the door. Tonraq stood to get the door, wondering who else could have been awake at such an early hour. When he opened the door, Mako was standing there, looking very sleepy, but determined.

"Mako? What are you doing here, son?" Tonraq asked, slight concern in his voice.

"Hey." Korra said, also greeting him at the door. "What's up?"

Mako stepped through the doorway and stood next to her as he began to explain the purpose of his visit.

"We just received word that the group who kidnapped Kado has made contact. We need to meet to discuss our next move."

Korra was stunned that things were happening so quickly, but she immediately sprang into action.

She, her dad, and Mako immediately went to the home where the others were staying and began to discuss the plan. They were joined by Bolin and Jinora, who were waiting for them. Through the course of their discussion, they found out that Tenzin and Wong were en route to the South Pole. Tenzin had refused to stay put knowing that his daughter was in harm's way and Wong was coming to represent Iroh, who was unable to leave his post in the Fire Nation. Both men were quite a ways off and most likely wouldn't arrive until the next day.

Eventually, the details of the message from the kidnapper came out and the group began to plan their next move based on the requests that were made.

"So, wait. This person wants to meet me where?" Korra asked in confusion. She wanted to make sure she had heard it correctly.

"Lion Turtle Island. You know, the giant jungle floating in the middle of the ocean." Bolin clarified dramatically and Korra shot him a withering glare.

"I know the island. I just can't believe that's where we're going to do this. With all of the machinery they'll be using, I can't undrestand how that location would help them. This person must be very confident in their abilities."

"Well, it doesn't matter because we're going with you." Mako said matter-of-factly, and everyone nodded.

"Yeah. That island isn't that far from here; probably about 40 minutes by air. We can definitely back you up." Bolin agreed.

"Wait, guys. What if they find out you're there? This demand was directed only at me and I don't want you getting hurt." Korra protested.

"Korra, this isn't up for discussion. You can't do this alone and that's it." Mako said firmly.

"But, you have all sacrificed so much already. This is my fight!" Korra insisted.

"Please let us help you." Jinora chimed in, timidly. "That's why we're here."

Korra paused, struggling with her concern for their safety and her knowledge that she most likely would need their help.

"Fine," she said, after thinking for a few moments. She already knew that she wasn't going to be able to keep them from coming anyway. "But, we need to make sure we plan carefully."

After a few moments of silence, Korra stood.

"I'm going to meditate. Hopefully Aang can help me out with this. We'll relax this morning and then head out in the afternoon."

The group nodded silently and Korra left and walked quickly back to her room. The need to communicate with Aang was so strong now that it was almost unbearable.

She entered her bedroom and sat cross-legged on her bed. She closed her eyes and cleared her mind, focusing on Aang's voice and image. Almost immediately, she felt herself floating and then she was in Aang's presence. As she opened her eyes, she saw him standing before her with a serious look on his face.

"Korra," he began, but she cut him off.

"I need your help, Aang."

"I know. But, we have a bigger problem, don't we?" Aang asked. She felt strange with him standing over her and her remaining seated. Since he showed no signs of lowering himself to the ground, she chose to get to her feet.

"What are you talking about?" she asked in confusion, once she was standing.

"I think you know what I'm talking about. You can feel it slipping, can't you?"

Korra looked away from him. She understood what he was describing, but wasn't sure she recognized it in herself. Suddenly, she felt a pang inside of her and glanced back at Aang. He was a little fuzzy around the edges and Korra didn't know why.

"I-I don't understand. I just feel like you're distancing yourself." Korra said, fear piercing through her tone.

"It's you who is creating the distance, Korra. Think about everything that's happened: your home being attacked and your mother getting badly hurt; Jinora being threatened by the chi blocker who held her; Kado being kidnapped and held against his will. It's a lot at once."

Korra nodded, and a dark look came over her face. Just the reminder of everything that had happened brought up the anger that was steadily floating just below the surface. She couldn't wait until she got the chance to take all of her feelings out on her enemy.

"Korra!" Aang's insistent voice cut through her thoughts. She jumped and looked up at him, only to see his image wavering and more fuzziness appearing around him.

"What's happening to you, Aang? It's like you're disappearing." She said, almost wanting to reach out and touch him, as if that would help solidify him again.

"You can't let this keep going on. Your judgment is being clouded by your anger and it's getting harder for me to feel you. This is dangerous." He cautioned.

"My anger? No, that's not going to be an issue. I've got it under control." Korra insisted, waving away Aang's concerns.

"If you don't clear your mind of these feelings, it's going to be hard for us to reach each other when you really need to. Please remember this, Korra." Aang said gently. He touched her shoulder and it felt like a calm breeze to her. Instantly, her tension started to melt away and she found herself closing her eyes. When she opened them again, she found herself back in her bedroom on her bed.

"No! I wasn't finished." she shouted, letting out a frustrated growl. She was hoping to get some clue as to how to defeat her enemy, but now she was left with nothing. Then, her eyes suddenly widened as a thought popped into her head.

"Dangerous…this enemy is more dangerous than I think," she said slowly to herself. She didn't know why she knew this and wondered briefly if it was Aang's way of passing on one last message to help her with her upcoming battle. However, she had little time to focus on that fact because the thought immediately irritated her. Her eyes turned to angry slits as she clenched her fists.

"The enemy is dangerous, huh? No, I'm the one who's dangerous." She said to herself, feeling a heaviness come over her.

A light knock sounded at her door and then Mako's concerned voice floated in. "Korra? You okay in there? I just heard you shouting."

Korra got up and opened the door just as he was removing his hand from the knob.

"Oh, hey." He said, looking into her eyes. Instantly, his brows furrowed in concern as he saw an expression he didn't like on her face.

"What's wrong?"

Korra stormed past him, and walked into the center of the living room where the rest of the group was trying to unwind before heading out. Apparently, they had all made their way from the guest home they were staying in to her home.

"Alright, no more games. We're leaving now!" Korra said firmly.

"Woah, what happened? Why are you so angry?" Bolin asked, putting his hands up defensively. "It's all good. We can take this guy, or girl, or whoever it is, out later on."

"No, it's not all good! I'm sick of people telling me I'm angry and I'm done being underestimated. I said we're going now!" Korra exploded, ending the conversation by walking outside and slamming the door behind her.

Everyone in the room looked at each other with shock and uneasiness. It appeared that Korra was losing control of her emotions, but none of them were sure how to approach it.

After a moment of stunned silence, Mako shook his head and said, "You all heard her. Let's go."

The group got to their feet and began shuffling around, gathering items needed for the battle. Tonraq motioned for Mako to join him in a quiet corner of the kitchen. As soon as he was sure no one could hear him, he said,

"I don't know what just happened in there, but something's obviously not right with Korra. Maybe this has been a long time coming, because she's been very stressed out lately."

He then looked Mako squarely in the eye, placing both hands on his shoulders, and continued.

"Please keep a close eye on her. If she keeps going down this path, I don't know how effective she'll actually be. I don't want her to put herself in danger." Tonraq said, slight fear coloring his tone.

Mako nodded as he replied, "Don't worry about Korra. I won't let anything happen to her."

The level of intensity in Mako's eyes was almost scary, and Tonraq stood up straight, releasing his shoulders.

"Thank you. Please feel free to take any supplies you may need. It's not much, but it's better than nothing."

Mako thanked his future father-in-law and then they both went about gathering needed items for the trip.

* * *

Hours later, everyone had finished their packing and were finally ready to leave. With the help of some the townspeople, they had managed to load the aircraft in record time.

"Are we ready to go yet? I think we're all here." Bolin called.

"Where's Korra?" Jinora asked, glancing around.

"Right! I knew someone was missing." Bolin said, tilting his head to the side and placing his finger on his chin as if he had just solved some great mystery.

Mako reacted quickly and ran off the plane. He went directly to the spot that Korra usually went when she was home and needed some quiet time. Sure enough, she was sitting on a cliff, staring out at the vast, snow-covered valley below.

Mako hesitated for a moment before saying, "We're ready to go."

She immediately stood, gave one last look out over the surrounding area, and then turned to walk back toward civilization. As she walked past him, with no intention of speaking, Mako held his arm out to stop her.

"Mako, I don't want to have a whole conversation about anything right now. I just want to leave."

"I know, but I also know something's not right with you. I'm not here to upset you, but I just want to know if you think this is the best mindset to have before going into a fight like this. I'm sure Aang must have-"

"Don't stand there and talk to me about Aang! You know nothing about what we talked about! It doesn't even matter because he didn't help me. He can't help me! That's all there is to it." She replied, no longer caring about how much she displayed her disdain.

"Can't you see that you're being unreasonable? Aang's job is to help you and I know he did! You're just being too stubborn to see it!" Mako retorted, starting to lose control of his own anger.

"You think you've got all the answers, don't you? You think I'm being unreasonable?! You have no idea what I'm thinking or feeling! I'm trying to do this all on my own and everyone's depending on me to solve all of their problems. You can't begin to know what that's like!" Korra's cheeks were flushed and she felt very close to bending an element, any element, in his general direction.

"Whose fault is it that you're doing this all on your own? You have an entire group of people who care about you and want to help you and you refuse to let us in! Don't blame us for your choices, Korra." Mako said. He felt his body temperature rising as well, which was impressive considering how high his normal temperature already was.

Korra had reached the end of her tolerance for this argument. She stepped up to Mako with her face inches away from his and said, "Think what you want about my choices, but the truth is that I am on my own. That's what being the avatar is, Mako. So, don't pretend like this is one giant pro-bending match where we can all share the responsibility. It's all on me and you know it."

Mako was caught off guard by how menacing and quiet her voice was. Before he could think of a response to her statement, she pushed past him and continued trudging toward the plane.

"Just do me a favor and stay out of my way." she called back to him, pausing momentarily to look back and ensure that he heard her clearly. Then she turned back around and continued on her original path, creating even more distance between herself and her fiance.

Mako sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. He knew for a fact that things had gotten really bad, not only between the two of them, but also within Korra herself. There was no reasoning with her when she got upset, but even he had never seen her like this before. Deciding he had no choice but to get moving, he turned and followed her onto the aircraft. Within moments, the plane made its ascent into the air and soared toward its destination.

* * *

**I must admit, I had some anxiety about writing this chapter because of Korra's mental state, but I had to tell myself it's all for a good cause! Thanks for continuing to read and reviews are appreciated! :)**


	11. The Power Within, Part 1

**Chapter 11: The Power Within, Part 1**

The plane had landed and everyone was disembarking and getting set up to rest, train, and otherwise prepare for what was to come. The kidnappers hadn't identified a specific timeframe for when they would arrive on Lion Turtle Island, so everyone knew that they had to be ready for almost anything to occur at any moment.

Korra was still in a dark mood and had isolated herself to practice some of her most difficult techniques in waterbending as well as to brush up on some of the new airbending skills she had recently learned. Jinora, not caring that Korra was in a bad mood, went over to her and offered to work with her on some of the moves she didn't quite get. Korra quietly agreed and the two silently practiced their forms.

Mako and Bolin had set up their areas side by side, and Bolin began his practice regimen that he always did before a big pro-bending match. Mako sat in silence on the ground igniting a flame in his hand and then putting it out. He did this several times in a row until Bolin stopped what he was doing and turned to face his brother.

"What is this? You think you're gonna take someone out with that dinky little flame? Why don't you come spar with me?"

"No, I'm good." Mako said without looking up. Bolin sighed loudly and plopped down next to him.

"Really, Mako? You're good? This is one of the biggest fights of our life and you aren't going to even shoot a lightning bolt or anything?" Bolin pressed. Mako grunted in reply.

"Hey, I get it, bro. Korra's got your head all messed up. She messed with my head, too, when she made out with you while we were dating." Bolin continued.

"We didn't make out and one friendly dinner isn't considered dating." Mako interjected, still staring at the flame dancing in his hand.

"Don't get all caught up in the details. My point is you need to let her work through this on her own. She'll come around. Just don't get all bent out of shape about it."

Mako finally put out the flame in his hand and looked straight ahead.

"I'm going to protect her even if she doesn't want me to." He said to no one in particular.

"Of course you are. We all will." Bolin agreed getting to his feet. After a moment, Mako also stood.

"That's the spirit! Now, show me that flame blaster thing you just learned," Bolin said excitedly.

"It's called the Flame-Thrower. Flame blaster is the worst name ever." Mako pointed out. Bolin responded by bending a pile of dirt at him that nearly covered his entire body. With that, their sparring match began.

* * *

Just as the group was taking a break from their bending practice, they suddenly heard helicopters overhead. Korra had been discreetly checking the skies for the past few hours and hadn't seen any sign of activity, so she was surprised to see the helicopters suddenly appear out of thin air.

"Oh, crap." Bolin said as he stood and stared upward.

"How many do you think there are?" Jinora asked, a slightly anxious look on her face.

"Don't worry about that, Jin. Stay alert, everyone. Don't drop your guard for a second. I know we can take them." Mako encouraged.

"Yeah. And if we can't, Korra can go all Avatar state on them!" Bolin proclaimed.

Before anyone else could respond, cables started falling out of the helicopters and people began to slide down them. There were about five fighters total and Korra was a little surprised by the low number.

"That's it? They must really think we are pushovers." Korra said, fresh anger coloring her cheeks.

Before the fighters could land on the ground, Korra launched herself forward, using earthbending to knock them off of their cables and into the dirt. Bolin followed close behind, hurling large rocks at each fighter as they tried to get up from the ground. Immediately, more helicopters began to appear in the sky.

"Guys look. They have reinforcements." Jinora said, fearfully pointing skyward.

Everyone paused as they spotted at least seven more helicopters and aircraft beginning to land on the island.

"That's more like it!" Korra said, her adrenaline rushing as she used water bending to freeze a fighter and then forcefully kicked him in the head.

As soon as the new fighters began to land, everyone started fighting in their various areas. Mako began an all out assault of the fighters that were coming at him. Bolin planted himself next to his brother and began to earth bend, lifting areas of the ground and toppling opponents. Although they never said it, they both knew that they fought best when they were together. Between the two of them, they destroyed the fighters taking them on and then they went to help Korra and Jinora with their fight. Jinora was getting the better of her opponent because of her advanced evasive skills using airbending, but there were a few close calls that almost would have had her electrocuted. Bolin supported her from behind by creating holes and pockets in the earth for the chi blockers to fall into or trip over.

Mako, meanwhile, joined with Korra's fight and began to shoot blaze after blaze of fire at the chi blockers. Korra was holding her own very well, using a combination of elements to take out the fighters. After a several minutes of fighting, most of the enemies had been depleted.

"Is that really it? Seems too easy." Bolin commented as he and Jinora walked over to join Korra and Mako.

The moment he said those words, a large cargo plane appeared in the sky, and everyone stared up at it in awe. It slowly lowered itself near them and finally landed on an open area of the island. Once it was on the ground, a hatch opened, revealing a dark opening and stairs. The group peered at the opening trying to see who was there, when they were finally able to make out two figures walking toward them. One was a tall male whose arms appeared to be behind his back and the other was a woman who was holding the male by one of his arms. When the pair finally stepped closely enough to the exit, everyone immediately recognized the captive.

"Kado! Are you okay?" Jinora asked, taking a step toward them. Bolin grabbed her to stop her and she immediately returned to his side.

"He's just fine." The woman said in a sinister tone. "He's just a little tied up right now."

"Jinora, don't worry about me!" Kado called out and also stepping forward, but he was then yanked back by his captor and silenced.

Korra stared at the woman strangely, because she saw a strong resemblance between her and Kado. After a moment, though, she shook the thought out of her head and stood squarely in front of the kidnapper.

"Okay, so we're here. What are you planning to do now?" she said boldly.

"Destroy you. But first, take this back." She said shoving Kado forward. He stumbled and nearly fell, but was able to regain his balance and run toward the group. He ended up near Mako, who checked to make sure he was okay.

"Avatar, I believe you're breaking the terms of our agreement. I said I only want to fight _you_. Since you can't follow simple instructions, I guess I'll have to level the playing field a bit."

Immediately, Bolin, Mako, Kado, and Jinora dropped to their knees, as if against their will. They were struggling to try to stand up, but unable to.

"Korra, she's controlling us somehow!" Mako said between gritted teeth and then his head was forcefully shoved downward.

"No...this can't be!" Korra exclaimed in disbelief as she began to back away. Images of Amon bloodbending Mako and taking away her bending began to flash through her mind.

"What's wrong, Avatar? You look a little pale." the woman continued, but Korra ignored her. She couldn't retreat and give in like this. She knew she had to stand and fight.

Out of nowhere, Bolin shouted, "Korra, I think she's a psychopath!" It took great effort for him to get his words out and his head was also immediately lowered after speaking.

"Cute. I think the word you're searching for is telepath, but you're only half-right." The woman replied, smiling.

"Actually, I think he does have it right. No one in their right mind would hurt people the way you have." Korra insisted, her resolve returning.

"Rei, please don't do this! You don't have to hurt anyone anymore!" Kado suddenly called out. Korra whirled around to face him as her previous feeling about the two of them resurfaced.

"Surprised that he knows my name? Well, I suppose you should be, seeing as how you didn't know that he's my little brother."

Now it was everyone else's turn to react in surprise.

"Kado, is this true? Is she your sister?" Korra asked, shock strongly present in her voice.

"Yes, but she's never been like this! I didn't even know she had this telekinetic power, I swear!"

"He's right, you know. I only learned I had this ability when Amon first came to power. I was working with my uncle in the trenches and accidently moved an object when I was angry. My uncle immediately started to train me and ensure that I learned to control this ability."

"How is what you're doing any different from the bending that we do and that you hate so much?" Korra questioned.

"Because, I'm not trying to control nature. I'm simply using excess internal energy to manipulate other things. You all are looking to dominate other people and use your bending to further your own causes."

"If manipulating other objects by using energy isn't bending, then I don't know what is." Mako commented darkly.

As soon as he had spoken these words, all four of people who were currently under Rei's control immediately fell face down on the ground, unable to move. They had stopped struggling and appeared to be unconscious. The look on Rei's face was one of indescribable hate.

Korra looked around in alarm and then got into an offensive crouching position as she realized that her friends were no longer responsive.

"What did you do to them?" she asked, her tone a mixture of fear and bitterness.

"I was getting a little tired of the conversation, so I silenced them. However, you shouldn't be so worried about your friends. Right now, you are in the gravest danger." Rei replied.

At that moment, Korra felt herself being lifted from the ground. Her limbs were no longer responding to her commands and she began to struggle wildly.

"No! Let me go!" She yelled, to no avail. Her attempts to connect to the spirit world were of no use and she felt as if Aang's voice had been silenced in her head.

Her body rose higher and higher into the air and all she could do was helplessly struggle against the invisible bonds that held her. Her anger only grew stronger as she thought about Aang's previous words of warning and her inability to access the avatar state. She began to bend wildly, shooting random blasts of fire, water and air in all directions around her. A couple of the attacks nearly hit her friends, but she appeared oblivious to that fact.

"Be careful. You don't want anything bad to happen to your little buddies." Rei cautioned in amusement.

Finally realizing the danger she was putting the others in, Korra stopped attacking and remained suspended in the air, panting.

"Who would have thought that the Avatar would be reduced to a weak, little waterbender throwing a tantrum." Rei observed, slowly shaking her head.

"Oh, well. I think it's time we finished this up. I've got other things to take care of."

Rei then began to bend Korra's body parts in unnatural directions. Korra cried out in pain, but was unable to do anything to stop what was happening. Rei was careful not to break anything, but did just enough to result in Korra's unbearable physical pain. After a few more moments of this, Rei seemed to tire of all of the noise.

"Goodbye, Avatar. It's been fun."

With that, she lifted Korra higher into the air and then forcefully threw her body into the ground. Just before Korra made contact with the ground, she thought of Mako and how she had failed him and everyone else.

"I'm sorry." she whispered, just as she hit the ground with full force. Then, all was darkness.


	12. The Power Within, Part 2

**Chapter 12: The Power Within, Part 2**

_Korra felt herself returning to consciousness, but was unable to move. She slowly opened her eyes, and appeared to be in a small garden with a single spot-lighted bench in the middle of a small patch of grass. It reminded her of the courtyard in Iroh's estate. She sat up and looked around in confusion before she heard what sounded like Aang's voice in her head._

_"Korra."_

_It was faint, but she knew it was him._

_"Aang! Where are you?"_

_She immediately stood and ran toward the bench. A light began to show from a dark corner of her visual field, and she walked toward it. Each time she did, though, it seemed to recede more._

_"Korra, please hurry!"_

_This voice sounded like Mako and it made her freeze in place._

_"Please help me!" Another voice, this one sounding very similar to a certain young airbender, invaded her eardrums._

_"I'm coming. I promise to help you all!" she cried out._

_She frantically ran in the direction of the light that was shining, but it remained elusive. She felt as if she was running down a dark tunnel with no end in sight. Regardless of all of the confusion she was feeling, she somehow knew that she needed to get to that light, to let it engulf her and completely overtake her mind and spirit. Somehow, she could use that light to save her friends and to save Mako._

_She ran endlessly, her breath beginning to catch in her chest and panic rising in her belly. Eventually, her stamina was depleted and she had to stop running._

_"I'm lost," she said aloud, the realization hitting her like a ton of bricks. "I can't help anyone."_

_She collapsed to the ground in defeat and dropped her head. Just as she was about to lose herself in her own despair, she felt a hand touch her shoulder._

_"It's okay. You've found it. Just turn around." Aang said from behind her._

_Slowly, she craned her neck to look over her right shoulder and was met with a blinding white light that overloaded her vision and encapsulated her body._

* * *

Korra opened her eyes again and found herself back on the battle field. Memories of where she was flooded her mind and she realized that she was back on Lion Turtle Island and under the control of Rei. Before she could think of her next move, she felt an overwhelming heat spread from her torso to all of her extremities. Her arms and legs were no longer under Rei's control, but she almost wasn't sure they were under her control either, considering how little effort it took for her to move them.

"This isn't right." Rei said, displaying concern for the first time since the fight began. One minute the avatar had been on the ground and the next she was up and about as if being slammed to the ground had no effect on her.

Korra began to bend earth and water directly at Rei, who immediately jumped out of the way and ran in the other direction. Korra pursued her and intercepted every attempt she made to evade. Without her special ability, Rei would have been defenseless.

Slowly, Mako and Bolin began to move and raise their heads from the ground. Kado also groaned and rolled over onto his side, his hands still cuffed behind his back. Jinora was the only one who remained motionless and unconscious. Kado looked over at her, and got himself up on his knees by shifting his arms from behind his back to his front. He achieved this feat by sliding his cuffed arms around his legs.

"Jinora!" he called urgently, crawling over to her. She was breathing evenly, but was not waking up just yet.

Bolin was now on his feet and noticed that Jinora was not awake yet. He joined Kado by her side and moved her out of harm's way. Mako, had since gotten to his own feet and stared in awe at Korra as she attacked Rei. Korra threw element after element at her, but Rei managed to defend herself by placing objects in her path to protect herself. However, that tactic wouldn't work for much longer against a fully realized avatar and everyone knew it.

"Yes! She's back." Mako said, smiling as he saw the battle rage on between Korra and Rei. Korra's eyes glowed bright white as she used earth and water to attack Rei, hurling boulders and rocks at her followed by frozen blocks of ice. She then used firebending to light the boulders and began to also use those as projectiles. Mako found it difficult to keep up with everything she was doing to take down Rei, but everything was working. He was so distracted that he didn't notice the mecha tanks that had arrived on the island from another group of aircraft carriers. They had stealthily made their way across the unforgiving terrain and were making a beeline for the avatar. When he finally took note of the tanks, they were within firing distance and Mako was frozen, trying to decide how to react. At this distance, they could fire at Korra openly and most likely hit her. She wouldn't have time to react or defend herself and he knew the devastating results of her losing her life while in the avatar state. Outside of that, he refused to stand by and watch anything happen to her at all.

Korra had lowered herself near the ground and continued her fight with Rei, who was now getting fatigued. Korra's assault was relentless and she remained oblivious as one of the closest mecha tanks powered up for an attack. Korra bent all four elements together in a direct attack at Rei, who was now defenseless and tired. Just as her attack hit her opponent, the mecha tank's attack was completely charged and about to blast.

Mako saw the scene unfolding as if in slow motion. He knew what he had to do. Just as he made his decision and began to run toward Korra, Bolin yelled, "Mako, no!" Jinora, who had awakened from her unconscious state and was being taken to safe area where rescue planes had just arrived, also looked on with horror and called out to him. Kado was frozen in silence, but saw the entire scene.

Korra's attack hit Rei full on and she fell out of mid-air and to the earth with a slam, completely unconscious. At that moment, the mecha tank's blast was released. Mako had already started running toward Korra while she had her back to the tank and was fighting Rei. As the shot from the tank was fired, Mako realized he was running too slowly and made a jump for it. The only thing in his mind at that moment was making sure his fiancé lived.

'Korra, I will protect you. I will not let you die.' This singular thought came into his mind as he dove toward her. Just as he crossed her path, the electrical blasts hit him in his torso. He absorbed the shots completely and made an attempt to redirect them, but they were too strong. He screamed in agony as his body shook with the intensity of the currents that coursed through his body.

Korra didn't know what had happened, but she felt heat and smelled smoke coming from behind her. She turned to see several tanks aimed at her and Mako falling to the ground. He landed with a thud, his body limp and smoking before her. Korra, couldn't remember what happened next, but she immediately shouted at the top of her lungs and poured all of her energy into attacking the tanks, namely the one that had done this to Mako. She bent water in all forms and with the most intensity she could muster at the tanks. They all immediately short circuited and began to fall to pieces on the ground due to electrical failure. She wasn't satisfied until each and every machine was in bits on the ground.

When the threat posed by the tanks was gone, the light in Korra's eyes faded. She felt the warmth start to dissipate from her body and knew she was transforming again, this time back to her old self. At some point while she attacked the tanks, she had risen into the air again and was hovering about two feet above the ground. Once she had fully transformed back from the avatar state, she began to fall back down to the earth.

* * *

**Thanks to those who have stuck with me on this journey! I would really love to hear some reviews because, otherwise, I have no clue how I'm doing! Please leave comments! :) I'm in a chapter posting mood tonight, so I think I've got one more to post before taking a break to wrap the story up. **


	13. The Will to Live

**Chapter 13: The Will to Live**

Dust and debris floated in the air in the aftermath of the battle, but the area was strangely quiet. Jinora had just been transported back to the South Pole, where Tenzin would meet her to be by her side while she recovered from her injuries. Bolin limped up to the motionless form of his brother lying in a heap on the ground. He had started running toward Mako soon after Korra attacked the mecha tank and had ended up falling awkwardly and hurting his leg. His own injury was the last thing on his mind as he sat down next to his brother and laid a hand on his chest, shaking his head. Everyone had seen the number of blasts Mako had taken as he jumped in front of Korra. He had ultimately saved her life, but now he looked to be badly hurt. Korra was lying a few feet away, groaning as she slowly lifted herself to a sitting position. The effort of her coming out of the Avatar state and her landing hard on the ground had momentarily knocked her out, and now she was a little disoriented.

"Bro, you gotta get up. Come on, man." Bolin said, his voice cracking at the end of his plea.

Korra's alertness immediately returned upon hearing Bolin's words, and she quickly scurried over to where he sat with Mako.

"Bolin, is he okay?"

She seemed to say these words desperately and Bolin had no answer for her. When she was finally able to look at Mako herself, her eyes registered pain.

"Oh, no. Mako…" she said, slowly hovering her hand over his body. His clothes were burned from head to toe, with his jacket and shirt indicating where most of the damage had taken place. Both of those pieces of clothing were blackened and torn apart, so that his chest and stomach were visible. Korra softly touched the burn marks that had formed on his skin and immediately retracted her hand because of the heat. She suddenly remembered him falling to the ground in front of her and the tank staring them down from across the battlefield. She pieced the images together and then looked into Bolin's distraught face.

"Bo, tell me he didn't…" she began.

"You were distracted fighting Rei and the tanks just snuck up on us. He was willing to do anything to make sure you weren't hurt, Korra." Bolin explained, his voice choked with emotion.

Korra shook her head in disbelief as she gazed at the motionless firebender.

"Mako, why did you do that? I never asked you to do something so stupid." She said half-heartedly, gently placing her hand on his forehead.

"Can you help him?" Bolin asked as she immediately bent some water and began to smooth it over his torso. As she did, her eyes grew wide and fearful.

"No….no this can't be right." She said in disbelief.

"What is it, Korra?" Kado asked then, joining the group. After the battle had ended, he had immediately sprung to action. He had run over to the authorities once they landed on the island and brought them to his unconscious sister. The other members of the anti-bending group who were still on the island had also been apprehended in put into police custody. The cops had removed Kado's handcuffs and then began to transport the criminals to Republic City, where they would be facing massive charges and long periods of jail time. After confirming that Rei was indeed going to receive her punishment, he returned to his friends.

"This is…" Korra began.

"Korra, don't say it," Bolin said quietly.

"But, Bo, I don't—"

"I said don't say it!" He yelled, and Korra and Kado both flinched involuntarily.

"Don't you tell me this is impossible. Don't tell me my brother's going to die. Don't you dare say those words." He said, tears now staining his cheeks. "Just heal him."

Korra shook her head, unable to come up with a place to start. There were so many internal injuries. He was still breathing and his heart was beating faintly, but his lung was punctured, his liver was barely functional, and one of his kidneys had been severely damaged. That wasn't even factoring in the damage to his rib cage. Everything inside of him was basically shutting down and Korra felt herself starting to panic.

"Mako, stay with me," she whispered as she closed her eyes and began to work with her water. Her hands were shaking so badly that she feared she wouldn't be able to keep the water under her control, but she somehow managed to. She first focused on the internal organs that were the most serious and concentrated as she used her water to attempt to repair damaged nerves and tissue. Kado stood near her, providing her with water to drink and toweling her off as sweat dripped off of her. Eventually, medical personnel began to slowly arrive at the island and set up areas to take care of those who were hurt in the fight.

"Korra, you need to take a break," Bolin said after about an hour and a half straight of her healing. "I know I was being forceful earlier, and I'm sorry about that. But you can't keep going like this." He said touching her arm.

"I'm not stopping," she stated, as she continued to work on his injuries. She felt herself coming to the end of what her healing knowledge would allow her to do and felt her heart rate increasing. This couldn't be all she could do for the man she loved; the man who had saved her life. She closed her eyes more tightly and finally reached out to the spirit world.

"What do I do? I don't think I can do any more and Mako's going to die if I can't fix this. Please help me." She thought, desperately. Just as she re-opened her eyes in preparation for another round of treatment, she heard a voice calling out her name.  
"Korra! Korra, I have something for you! Hold on!" The voice called. It sounded a bit like Wong to her, but she couldn't be sure because she had never heard him raise his voice. Sure enough, she looked up and it was him who she saw running toward her frantically.

"Wong?" Kado asked in disbelief as he got to his feet.

"Avatar Korra, please forgive me for yelling, but I have something I think you will need." He said, stopping once he had reached the group and handing her the box.

Korra slowly grabbed the worn box as a look of understanding came over her.

"Yes, of course! The healing form scroll. How could I forget about this?" Then she looked at Wong, almost wanting to kiss him for thinking to bring it. "Wong, how did you know?"

"It wasn't me. It was Jinora. We just arrived at the South Pole not too long ago, just in time to see her return from the fight. She was in a stretcher, but the first thing she said when she was rolled out of the plane was to get the healing scroll. Of course, none of us knew what she was talking about and Tenzin thought she was rambling due to shock, but she was able to explain that Mako had gotten you an ancient healing form scroll as a gift. She told us to look in your room for it. She also said that Mako was badly hurt and that you would need it. So, I immediately brought it here. I hope I'm not too late."

Korra opened the box and laid the form out in front of her as she wiped the sweat off her forehead and prepared to begin again.

"Thank you so much, Wong. I owe Jinora big time when we get back to the South Pole. Is she okay?"

"She will be fine. She just needs some treatment and rest." Wong explained and Korra sighed with relief. Then she turned her attention to the most important gift she had ever been given.

"Okay, everyone. Give me some space. This is my first time doing this technique." She said, and the group obediently backed away from her.

She stood and began to make the body motions indicated on the scroll. A couple of times she had to pause and start again because of the unfamiliarity of the positions and her own fatigue. Every muscle in her body was screaming from the effort and she was finding it impossible to take in a full breath any more. At this point, she was panting. Continuing to follow the instructions on the scroll, she then lowered herself to her knees. She continued to follow the motions, using only her arms, hands, and upper body. She slowly moved backward and forward in a type of hypnotic dance, and everyone watching her found themselves drawn in to her movements. Everything she did looked so beautiful and fluid, it was easy to forget that she was trying to save a life. She had now been working on Mako for nearly 2 hours and knew she was reaching her limit. She also knew why this form was so difficult. It was forcing her to reach to depths she had never reached when healing someone and, in most cases, depths that she hadn't even thought were possible. But, if it worked…if she could pull this off…maybe he would have a chance.

Korra worked with the form for 30 more minutes, before Bolin came up to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. She was on all fours gasping for air and sweat was dripping from every part of her body. She felt light headed, but had no intention of stopping.

"Korra, you have to stop now." He said quietly. "You're going to be worse off than he is if you keep going."

"But, he's not awake yet. I think if I just work a little more…" she said attempting to sit upright on her knees. As soon as she did, everything began to spin and Bolin caught her before she completely lost her balance. Wong and Kado immediately ran forward and helped steady her, due to Bolin's limited mobility as a result of his leg injury.

"You've done too much already. I can't let you keep going." Bolin said, sadly.

Korra looked up at him and the look on his face was indescribable.

"What are you saying? Are you giving up?" she said, her voice trembling. She hadn't realized until that moment how much she depended on him to keep her hopes up. Bolin shook his head.

"Of course not. But you've done all you can do." The look on his face was determined yet pained. It was as if he was conflicted about whether or not to let her continue. A part of him wanted her to just keep going endlessly until his brother was healed, but another part of him didn't want her to hurt herself in the process.

"He's right. Let's allow his body to try to do the rest," Kado chimed in. He kneeled down and placed his arm around Korra helping to lift her to a standing position. Her legs were limp and she was completely unable to stand on her own. Wong slipped his arm around her other side and both of them walked with her to the medical area, where healers began working on her. Mako was then carried to the transport plane and placed on board with Korra and Bolin. Wong and Kado stayed behind to direct the workers who were there and make sure there were no lingering threats in the area. After a few more hours of this, they both boarded a plane and made their journey back to the Southern Water Tribe.

* * *

The plane returned to the South Pole, where homes that hadn't been destroyed were used to house the injured. Korra was placed in a large home on the outskirts of town that had enough rooms to house the entire group. Her room was right next to Mako's and Jinora's room was on the other side of hers. Bolin had a room across the hall and was able to use a walking to stick to visit his friends. As soon as Korra was placed in her room and brought to her bed, a light knock sounded at her door.

"Come in," she said wearily, barely having the energy to respond. When the door opened, her parents entered the room. Her father brought her mother in a wheel chair and one of the volunteers closed the door behind them.

"Korra, I was so worried." Senna said as he was brought to her daughter's bedside.

"She insisted on seeing you as soon as you came home." Tonraq said, apologetically. "I know you're tired."

"I'm okay, mom." Korra assured her taking her hand and squeezing it.

"We heard about Mako." Tonraq said quietly. Korra's eyes misted over as she thought about her fiancé lying in bed next door to her, fighting for his life.

"They said I can't see him tonight. He's still in danger and they need to work on him without distractions. They told me to just get some rest and said I could see him in the morning." she said, bitterness in her voice.

"Yes, you do need your rest. You are not in such great shape yourself." Senna insisted, stroking her hair.

"How am I going to sleep while he lies there like that? What if he doesn't make it? What am I supposed to do?" she asked, naked fear in her eyes. The distress in her voice made her parents' hearts ache.

"Please listen to the doctors. You can't help him if you don't recover. Bolin is sitting with him tonight and I bet he won't leave his side. He's not alone." Tonraq said.

He then leaned down and softly kissed her forehead. He kept his face level with hers and locked eyes with her as he continued,

"I know about the healing you did for Mako. I took a look at the scroll myself and talked to Katara about it. She said she's never heard of a form so difficult in her entire life. Do you understand what you did today, Korra? You gave everything you had. It's time to rest now."

Just as he was about to stand up straight again, Korra wrapped her arms around his neck and tightened her grip.

"Dad, I'm so scared." she said, squeezing her eyes shut tightly. In that moment, Senna felt like she had been transported to a time when Korra was a little girl who had been afraid of the dark and was looking for comfort in the arms of her first protector. She couldn't help but allow a tear to spill down her cheek as she witnessed her daughter's distress.

"I know." he replied, holding her firmly. "I know."

The two held each other for a long moment, and then parted. Korra laid back down on her pillow, finally feeling her injuries and exhaustion catching up with her. Both of her parents sat with her, talking and simply staying by her side until she was finally sleeping peacefully.

Senna gently stroked her bangs as she smiled down at her lovingly.

"Our daughter is something else, isn't she?" Tonraq commented as he walked over to his wife, preparing to unlock her wheel chair and leave for the night.

"Yes, she is. We're so lucky." She said. Then she leaned over and kissed Korra's cheek. "Sleep well, my dear."

Tonraq then grabbed hold of the wheelchair handles and they quietly left the room, closing the door behind them.

* * *

**Almost there! Unless something drastically changes, there will be one more chapter to this story. I hope everyone has enjoyed reading so far and please, please drop a comment for me! In the mean time, I'll be working on the ending. Have a good one! :)**


	14. On the Brink

**Hi! So, I decided to make some changes to these last few chapters. I will be breaking the rest of the story into smaller chapters rather than having one final chapter like I originally planned. I just like it better this way based on how this final writing has been going. Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy! :)**

* * *

**Chapter 14: On the Brink**

"Korra? Korra, wake up."

Out of nowhere, Korra heard her name being called by a familiar voice. She woke up with a start and jumped.

"What? What's going on?" She said. She looked around and saw that she was still in her recovery room and in her bed. Tenzin sat next to her with a hand on her shoulder.

"How are you feeling?" he asked and she nodded as she rubbed her eyes.

"I'm okay, just a little sore. How long was I asleep?" she seemed disoriented and Tenzin handed her a glass of water.

"About 14 hours. You really did a number on yourself yesterday." Tenzin explained.

Korra's eyes widened as she finished the glass of water. She was surprised that she had slept that long, but she didn't feel refereshed...just groggy. Once she set the glass down, she looked up at Tenzin, preparing to ask him a question about Mako. However, the grim look on his face halted her question.

"What's wrong, Tenzin? Has something happened? Is it Mako?" Each question she asked brought her voice up to a higher volume and pitch. After a brief pause, Tenzin stated,

"He's had a setback."

Korra's stomach dropped as she leaned back heavily against the pillow behind her. She couldn't speak, so Tenzin continued with his explanation.

"He is still breathing on his own, but his damaged internal organs are not strengthening fast enough and his heart is weaker. The healers are worried, so they are going to be monitoring him much more closely now. Korra, I'm sorry about this."

Korra was finding it difficult to breathe, and her first instinct was to go to him. Tenzin, seeming to predict her train of thought, quickly said, "The healers have set up strict visiting rules, so you won't be able to see him again until tomorrow. They don't want to create any situations where he could be under stress."

Anger flamed up in her eyes at the statement he had just made.

"What are you saying? That I would cause him stress somehow?! I think me being there would help him, Tenzin! Plus, I'm a healer!" She was practically yelling now and Tenzin raised a hand to calm her.

"That's not what they're saying, Korra. They're limiting all visitation, not just visits from you. Anytime someone is around him, it could be having that affect. It's not personal."

Korra crossed her arms and set her mouth in a frown as Tenzin continued to try to explain. She didn't care what everyone thought, she needed to be near Mako.

Just as Tenzin was finishing his second round of explanations, shouting could be heard from next door.

"Help! Someone help Mako!"

"Is that, Bo?" Korra asked. She immediately threw off her covers and jumped out of bed, ignoring the pain that shot through her body and the slight dizziness that hit her. She knew she wasn't fully healed yet, but she didn't care. Without a word, Tenzin jumped up as well and followed Korra next door.

When they arrived at Mako's door, a group of healers were surrounding his bed. One was doing chest compressions, while the others were providing oxygen and trying to monitor vital signs.

Bolin stood on the left side of the doorway looking petrified as Korra hurried over to him. When he noticed her run up to him, he immediately began talking.

"I don't know what happened. I was just walking in here to check on him and he looked really still. I came over to him and noticed that he wasn't breathing. There were some healers who were already coming to his room, so they started working on him right after I started yelling."

Korra just stared in horror as the healers continued working on Mako, whose body was limp and unmoving.

"This can't be right." She mumbled to herself. She felt as if she was trapped in a bad dream that wouldn't seem to end. Just then, Tenzin walked up the two of them.

"We've been asked to return to our rooms. They'll call us when they're done." He said matter-of-factly. Both Bolin and Korra were too stunned to argue, and they allowed him to lead them both back into Korra's room. Eventually, Jinora and Korra's parents also came into the room and the group sat silently together waiting on word about the firebender in the next room.

After what seemed like hours, but was really only 30 minutes, one of the healers entered the room and stood before the group. Everyone looked up expectantly but the healer's facial expression displayed nothing as he said,

"Bolin and Korra, please come with me."

Both benders stared at each other fearfully, but immediately got to their feet and headed for the door. Once they were close enough to each other, Bolin automatically grabbed Korra's hand and clutched it tightly. He wasn't sure if he did it more for himself or for her, but it seemed to help them both remain calm, nonetheless.

"Is he okay?" Korra whispered once they were out of her room and in front of Mako's closed door.

"He's stable now and we were able to get him breathing again, but he's very weak. I wanted you both to come first because we don't know what's going to happen next and you are his closest next of kin. I'm sorry, but I have to be straight with you. We just don't know if he'll make it."

Korra felt like she had been punched in the stomach and she visibly paled. This information was not something she was able to process at this time. She was already physically weak, but the additional knowledge that Mako might not live was devastating. Thankfully Bolin, who was standing right beside her, noticed her body language and immediately wrapped a strong arm around her, otherwise she would have fallen to her knees. He no longer needed the use of his walking stick, and that freed him up to support her.

The healer then opened the door and allowed the two of them to enter the room. Mako was now covered by a blanket and had various tubes and chords strapped to him. His skin was extremely pale, and Korra almost couldn't look at him. She unconsciously paused when she entered the room, as if the anguish she was feeling would not allow her to take another step.

"Keep walking, Korra. He needs us." Bolin whispered in a strained tone and she nodded her head as they both made their way to his bed. Once they were nearby, they each took one of his hands, and both felt cool to the touch. Considering that Mako was a firebender, his body temperature should have been much higher.

"Feel free to take your time," the healer said kindly, and Bolin nodded. Korra had tuned everything else out except Mako, and just sat there gazing at him and clutching his hand.

"I know this is against the rules, but please let us stay here overnight. We want to be here if something…happens." Bolin requested, swallowing loudly. He didn't want to even say the words that everyone was thinking. The healer nodded silently before leaving the three of them alone so that he could go back and talk with the others about Mako's condition.

Korra and Bolin sat silently for hours, neither one daring to speak or move too far away from him. Bolin began to pace and wander around the room at different times of the evening, but Korra remained rooted to the spot making sure to maintain physical contact with Mako. At one point, Senna came in (with the help of a volunteer) to leave food and drink for the two of them, but those items were left unnoticed and untouched. Throughout the night, healers periodically came in to check on Mako, but no one bothered the visitors. They both just continued to wait patiently, fearing the worst.

* * *

**That wraps up this chapter! The next one should be coming down the pipe pretty soon...just need to do some more tweaking. Thanks so much for having patience with me as I have muddled through this story and I look forward to hearing any feedback. :)**


	15. Dawn

**Yay, we're nearly there! I'm glad to be coming to the end of this experience and I really think I learned a lot. For all of you readers who have made it this far...you are awesome! Enjoy! :)**

* * *

**Chapter 15: Dawn**

Eventually, the early hours of the morning arrived, and sunlight began to peek out from behind the mountains. Korra, still sitting next to her fiance's bed, had finally succumbed to fatigue and fell asleep right where she sat. Her head rested in his lap and one of her arms was draped across his leg. She had slept fitfully and was just beginning to wake up from her uncomfortable resting position, when she felt the weight of a hand on top of her head and fingers lightly stroking her unruly strands of hair.

She slowly sat up and stretched, thinking that her father or Tenzin had come to awaken her. After a few moments, her eyes fully focused and she sat up completely. She looked in the direction of the man she had last seen lying comatose in bed and was caught off guard when she saw his amber eyes gazing back at her.

"Mako?!" she whispered harshly, her voice catching in her throat and her eyes immediately filling and overflowing with tears. She suddenly realized that he was the one who had been softly caressing her hair when she awoke. He stroked her cheek, wiping away the tears that were now there, and gave her a weak yet tender smile.

"Hey, Korra." He said simply, his voice hoarse and gravelly from lack of use. "You're crying."

She nodded, not being able to get any words to form in her mouth, as she firmly grasped his hand in both of hers and kissed it.

Bolin, who had passed out last night in a seat near the window, stirred when he heard hushed voices. He blinked his eyes open as he yawned and attempted to loosen his cramped muscles. When he glanced at his brother's bedside, the scene he saw there made him jump to his feet in shock. He then shouted, "Mako? You're awake!?"

Mako turned his gaze to his younger brother and nodded, saying, "Yeah, apparently I am."

Bolin joined Korra at his bedside, with tears also in his eyes. They were afraid to embrace him because of his injuries, but their joy to see him talking and awake was evident. Korra leaned down and kissed his forehead as she gently placed her hand on the side of his face.

"We thought we had lost you." She said quietly, finally finding her voice.

He nodded as he attempted to sit upright in the bed.

"That explains why I feel like I got run over by a pack of polar bear dogs. Ow!" he muttered, as his effort to sit up resulted in a great deal of pain.

"Woah, stay still, bro. I'm going to go get someone." Bolin instructed. Just as he turned to head for the door, it opened and two healers walked in to do their regular morning checks. When they saw Mako awake and looking around, they hurried to the bed.

"Sir, we are so glad to see you back with us!" one of the younger healers explained, as he joined with the other healer to check out vital signs. After a few minutes of examination, both healers looked completely astonished.

"When did he regain consciousness?" one healer asked, turning to look at Korra.

"He was awake when I woke up, about five minutes ago." She responded and Mako nodded.

"Basically, I woke up moments before she did." he confirmed.

"Well, I'm pleased to say that everything looks good. I can't believe it, but you're recovery since yesterday is amazing!" the first healer exclaimed as he finished his exam. "Are you in any pain?"

"Yeah, a lot." Mako agreed, wincing as he tried to shift to a more comfortable position.

"We'll go get you some medicine. Please try not to move around too much."

With that, both healers left, whispering furiously between themselves about the medical miracle that they were witnessing. At that moment, Bolin stood upright.

"I want to let the others know that's he's awake. I'll check back in with you guys before letting them in."

Before he left the room, he reached down and wrapped his arms around Mako's neck in a hug.

"I'm so glad you're okay, bro. You had me really worried for a sec." he said. When he pulled away, both brothers held each other's shoulders for a moment as they smiled at each other. Then Bolin quickly left the room.

As soon as the door closed behind him, Korra immediately leaned over and softly pressed her lips to Mako's. So much emotion lay behind this kiss that she had to remind herself to slow down so as not to accidentally hurt him. They continued their kiss for several moments, before both pulled away breathless and flushed.

"Mako, I'm so sorry I got upset with you. I love you so much. Can you ever forgive me? I can't believe I said those horrible things to you!" Korra blurted out, the words just tumbling out of her mouth in no particular order. She had spent so much time feeling like she might never be able to say these words to him again that she wanted to put them all out there now, while she was sure he could hear them.

"Korra, stop. Please. It's okay…I know you were struggling. I just wanted to make sure you were safe. And, I'm sorry about the things I said to you. I guess we were both struggling," he said, taking her hand into his and intertwining his fingers with hers. She nodded in agreement. Then he looked deeply into her eyes.

"Were you hurt at all during the fight? Tell me the truth."

She shook her head and smiled.

"I had some scratches and bruises, but otherwise I'm fine. That's because of you, Mako. You saved my life. Thank you." She said, her eyes shining as she gazed at him lovingly.

"I'm assuming we won, then." he said, as he took a sip of water from the cup that was sitting next to him.

"Seems that way. Rei was defeated and is now in prison along with her band of chi blockers, so I'd say that's a win for us." she answered and he returned the smile that graced her face.

Mako then lifted his shirt and looked down at his chest to see a long, jagged scar. Korra's smile faded and her eyebrows furrowed as she looked at it. The reminder of how he had gotten the scar and all of the misery that had taken place over the past two days were painful to think about. Mako also seemed to remember and lowered his shirt slowly.

"Man that is a serious scar." he said. Then he looked up at Korra and continued, "I remember jumping in front of you and absorbing electricity. What happened after that?"

Korra shuddered at the memory, but began to speak anyway.

"I destroyed the tanks that shot at us right after I took down Rei. Then I started to trying to heal you, but nothing I did was helping. You were in bad shape, Mako. Thankfully, Jinora sent Wong there with my healing scroll and I was able to use that on you." She explained.

Mako looked surprised as he clarified, "You mean the scroll I gave you as a gift?"

She nodded and smiled. "When I finished with it, there was no difference in your condition, but I'm wondering if it did end up helping you after all."

Mako squeezed her hand as he smiled at her again.

"So, it looks like you saved my life, too." He said and she looked away, shrugging.

"Well, I wouldn't have had that scroll if not for you. But, honestly, I'm not sure if what I did helped." She admitted. Mako tilted her chin up so their eyes met and left a gentle kiss on her lips.

"I know it did, Korra. I know you and you probably kept going until you couldn't anymore. So, thank you for saving me, Avatar."

The two continued to gaze at each other as the healers returned to the room with Mako's medicine. He took the medication gratefully and then settled back onto his pillow with a sigh. Immediately after the healers entered, Bolin poked his head in with Jinora right behind him, silently asking permission to enter. Mako nodded and the two walked in, completing their reunification with their injured comrade.

As they all sat together and caught up, Bolin suddenly looked around the room and stated, "Hey, have you guys seen Kado?"

Everyone looked thoughtful as Jinora replied, "Actually, no. I haven't seen him since yesterday afternoon. With all of the commotion around Mako, I didn't even notice he was gone."

The group looked slightly concerned, but continued with their conversation. It was only Jinora who thought to herself, 'Kado, I hope you're all right, wherever you are.'

Then, she immediately returned her attention to her friends and continued to join in celebrating their victory and Mako's recovery. Everyone finally felt somewhat peaceful, as they reflected on the fact that they had managed to suppress another equalist uprising and that no one on their team had been lost in battle.

For this one moment in time, all was right with the world.

* * *

**Feedback is welcomed and there's still a little more to say, so be on the look out for the epilogue! :)**


	16. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

An insistent knock sounded at General Iroh's office door.

"One second!" he called. Then he sighed as he looked over his paperwork one more time. He had to prepare for this interrogation properly and wasn't excited about the interruption. After he got his bearings and stood, he called out, "Okay, come in."

Wong slowly opened the door and announced, "I'm sorry to bother you, General, but I have Kado here to see you."

Iroh remembered the young man who had accompanied the avatar and her team to the south pole to fight. Kado stepped forward, gazing steadily at the general as he entered his office.

"Kado, it's good to see you again. Please have a seat." He motioned to one of his desk chairs as he continued to organize the paperwork on his desk. Wong had since closed the office door.

"If you don't mind, sir, I'd rather stand. This should only take a moment."

Iroh was slightly taken aback by his statement, but respected his decision. He glanced up at him from his papers and then set them down to give the boy his full attention.

"Alright, then. What brings you here? I'm surprised to see that you're not still with your friends in the South Pole celebrating your victory."

"With all due respect, sir, I don't feel like there's much to celebrate. My sister is in police custody and I need answers. Something doesn't seem right."

Iroh's facial expression showed nothing as he nodded and walked around his desk to stand directly in front of the young man.

"I see. This must be difficult for you."

Kado didn't respond, but blinked and looked down as he clenched his jaw. Iroh was impressed with the resolve the sixteen year old was showing him.

Then he paused momentarily before continuing.

"We just received word that Mako awoke from his coma this morning. Apparently Korra's special healing technique has had miraculous results."

Kado smiled and seemed to breathe a sigh of relief as he nodded.

"Thank you for telling me, General. I was concerned about him."

Iroh then reached over and grabbed the papers on his desk as he continued, "I'm actually heading over to the holding area right now to question Rei. You just caught me preparing for the interrogation."

Kado's eyes widened as confusion colored his facial expression.

"I thought she and the other chi blockers were being sent to Republic City for sentencing?"

"They are and the others are already there. But, I put in a special request to have your sister brought here first because I have some questions to ask her myself."

Kado was surprised. As general, Iroh normally had more important things to do then question suspects. If he had pulled so many strings to have Rei sent here and set aside his own busy schedule to question her personally, there must have been some very important information he was seeking. All of this didn't phase Kado, though, and he finally voiced the question he intended to ask as soon as he heard Rei was in the Fire Nation.

"Can I join you? I don't want to see her or talk to her, but I want to know what she has to say to you. I have to know the truth."

After a moment of deliberation, Iroh nodded quickly and then headed for the door. Kado obediently followed and the two walked in silence to a waiting car. Once inside, the silence continued as the car made its way to the prison in record time.

"He's with me." Iroh said curtly, deflecting the concerned looks and movements of the armed guards as they exited the car. The guards reluctantly backed away, after one intense glance given by Wong.

"They don't trust me." Kado stated in understanding, as he entered the prison with the general.

"All they know is that you are related to the culprit. They don't know your intentions." Iroh said calmly. After reaching a private area, he entered a code and was allowed entry.

"What about you? Why are you letting me come here?" Kado questioned and Iroh stopped walking and turned to face the boy before him. He didn't intimidate him by towering over him and glaring, but his gaze was firm and his stance solid.

"Because, part of me believes you are not secretly working with your sister and the other part of me knows it would not be in your best interest to mount in attack in a heavily guarded prison with master fire benders surrounding you."

Iroh had not meant the statement as a threat, but Kado understood what he was getting at. He swallowed loudly as he nodded and then asked, "What about my sister?"

"Believe it or not, your sister's ability is not new to us. As such, we have taken the necessary precautions to halt her telekinesis, so she is no longer a threat to us."

Iroh then turned and continued through another doorway. They reached a room with a one way mirror. Kado stared in silence as a guard walked his handcuffed sister into the room and sat her down in a chair on the left side of the table. She wore a red jumpsuit that fire nation criminals were issued upon arrest and there was a vacant look in her eye. Kado was flooded with conflicting emotions once he saw her and the two that battled for dominance within him were anger and sadness. Anger happened to be winning at the moment.

"Stay here. She can't see through the window." Iroh instructed and Kado nodded.

Iroh then disappeared into the room and reappeared on the other side. He looked blankly at Rei as he pulled out the chair that sat down across from her. Rei said nothing as she glared at the general with narrowed eyes.

"So nice of you to visit, General. Taking a break from your meetings and paperwork just for me?"

Iroh ignored her, as he returned her gaze and placed his folded hands on the table, interlocking his fingers.

"We're not here to talk about me, Rei. So, let's talk a little bit about you, shall we?"

He tossed the paperwork he was holding on the table and it slid until it was halfway between the two of them.

"I've been doing some research of my own on you. I know about your connections to the equalists through your uncle. I also know that there's more going on here then this little "show" you just put on at the South Pole and on Lion Turtle Island."

Rei's eyes remained steady, but she visibly appeared to be unnerved. Her breath became shallow and she began to tap her leg, a nervous habit that she had displayed since childhood and was immediately recognizable by her younger brother.

"Let's face it; you had to know going against the Avatar was futile. You had no chance of defeating her and you knew it. So, what would make a person like you go on a suicide mission like that?"

Iroh was masterfully breaking down the young woman before him, and Kado could see that she was now becoming agitated.

"I don't have to answer any of your questions, you filthy firebender." she spat out. It was apparent that he was definitely getting under her skin.

Iroh leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms in front of him, as a smirk played on his lips.

"You're right, you don't have to answer my questions. But, you will listen to what I have to say." He leaned forward in his chair so that his torso hovered over the table and he supported himself using his arms. His voice dropped to nearly a whisper as he continued.

"I have reason to believe that Amon is alive and I think you know something about his current whereabouts. If I were you, I would cut the act and start talking _now_."

Kado's mouth dropped open and his heart began to pound as he watched Rei's facial expression transform from anger to uncertainty. She didn't respond, but just stared evenly at the general in silence. She neither confirmed nor denied his claims, but that behavior in and of itself spoke volumes. As Kado looked on in horror, the only thought that came to his mind was,

"If Amon is truly alive, then we are all in grave danger."

* * *

**So, here we are. We've made it to the end of this story and I'm so grateful for the support I've received! Clearly, the matters in this story are not completely resolved, leaving room for more writing! I do plan to continue with this concept because I feel like I still have more to say, but I will be taking a break before doing that...probably a lengthy break. Thanks again for reading and please feel free to leave me any feedback you think could be helpful! :)**


End file.
